


Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

by soraxtsuna123



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Bullying, Character Development, Cute, Drugs, Electroconvulsive Therapy, Emotional Roller Coaster, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Heartbreak, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Manipulation, Mental Health Issues, No Sex, Pining, Protectiveness, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 103,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23425270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soraxtsuna123/pseuds/soraxtsuna123
Summary: It seemed like Ponyboy always walked in at the wrong time. One day, while at school, he gets dragged into a Soc's excuse to softly break up with his girlfriend. That excuse: the Soc was in a gay relationship with Ponyboy. However, news travels fast as soon the entire school learns about them and they are forced to continue in the act. It was supposed to be for a month or two before they broke it off and went back to their own lives, but they didn't take into account that they would fall for each other.Posted on FFN.
Relationships: Ponyboy Curtis/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 128
Kudos: 114





	1. His Offer

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This story will contain a lot of terrible slang, names, and sentences that could be really offensive to people. This is only so the story could be as historically accurate as possible.

In the wrong place at the wrong time—that was Ponyboy's catchphrase it seemed. It wasn't like he was fishing for trouble or anything. No, he tried to stay away to the best of his abilities. But sometimes things just happen. This time, Ponyboy accidentally got himself in a situation that lasted for his entire high school career. Heck, it even lasted after that. In fact, the implications stayed with him for the rest of his life.

It all started after he excused himself from class to go to the bathroom one afternoon. The hallways were absolutely empty with no student in sight. It was actually quite eerie. The bathroom was all the way at the other end of the floor, which was quite daunting when you really had to go. It wasn't close to any classroom and it was sort of isolated from any of the other rooms besides the janitor closet and the girls' restroom. But, whatever. It just meant that the bathroom was cleaner because there were fewer people that used it.

When he got closer, however, he heard yelling coming from inside the boys' bathroom. An argument was happening between two people, a boy and a girl. Why they had to have an argument in the bathroom, Ponyboy had no idea. He contemplated finding another bathroom, but then he would have to go to another floor and it just didn't seem worth it to him. He was going in, whether they like it or not. And, besides, what's the worst that could happen? Them telling him to scram?

With that, Ponyboy creaked open the bathroom door, eyes instantly locking onto the two people inside. As soon as he opened the door, they spun around to look at him. Both of them had different reactions to his arrival. The woman glared holes into him with her green eyes like she had always had a grudge against him. She was tall (freakishly so), almost towering over Ponyboy who was short for his age. Her curly red hair was cut short to her ears and her face was caked with makeup. Although she was pretty, she sort of reminded Ponyboy of a clown… more specifically, Ronald McDonald. He wondered if anyone else noticed that before. He had seen her around before and knew that she was quite popular amongst the students. He could see why. Despite being beautiful, she was on the yearbook committee and was friends with some of the cheerleaders.

The male, on the other hand, was also tall. The top of Ponyboy's head only went to his bottom lip. He was fit, but not too much so. The male was also older, maybe by two or three years, and had chestnut brown hair that was shorter on the back and sides and longer and wavier on the top. He was quite handsome, he had to admit. Ponyboy had never seen him before, but that was the least of his worries. Instead of glaring at him like many other Socs do, his lips curled up into a smirk, brown eyes gleaming mischievously.

Yep, Ponyboy should have walked to another bathroom.

He was about to slip back out and act like he didn't see anything when the male grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside the bathroom. Before Ponyboy had time to protest, he wrapped an arm around his waist, causing him to instantly tense up. He looked at the male like he was crazy, trying to struggle out of the hold, but no matter how hard he squirmed, he didn't budge.

"Is this him?" the woman suddenly demanded, hands firmly placed on her hips. If possible, her glare harshened.

"What's going on?" Ponyboy dared to ask. The two ignored him, much to his displeasure. He wanted answers and he wasn't getting any. And why was the Soc holding onto him so affectionately?

"That's right, Olivia. This is my boyfriend," the man finally answered, voice smooth. Ponyboy's eyes widened, snapping his attention to the male. If he had water in his mouth, he would have sprayed it all out.

What? Boyfriend? What the hell was going on!?

Olivia scoffed, looking Ponyboy up and down. "Really? _Him_? Come on, Archie. You could do better than that. He's a _greaser_ and a _he_! I don't think gay relationships are even legal, and it shouldn't. It's sick. You can't be serious. You dumped me for _him_?" the woman complained, jabbing her finger towards Ponyboy.

"No—" Ponyboy started but the male holding him pinched him in the side, causing him to flinch into the other's side.

Archie only shrugged and said, "I like him, and he likes me too. That's what only matters. Isn't that right? You like me too, _right_?" The last word came out a little forced. He bent down to put his mouth near Ponyboy's ears. His hot breath brushed against his lobe, causing Ponyboy to tilt his head to the side in an attempt to get away as much as possible. His face was beet red, which didn't help his situation at all. He gaped like a fish, unsure of what he should do. His mind felt fuzzy from his embarrassment. But what Archie whispered in his ear sobered him up really quickly. "Back me up, grease, or else you're done."

In a usual case, Ponyboy would have stood up for himself. He could defend himself in a fight. But he felt something cold and sharp against his back. During his mini panic attack, Archie pulled out his blade. A bead of sweat fell down Ponyboy's temple as he pulled up a strained smile. "I like him very much," he stated tightly, eyebrow twitching. How did he even get himself in this situation?

Sensing his discomfort and awkwardness, Olivia raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing him. "You don't look too sure. Are you two actually in a relationship? Is this fake? Are you lying to me?"

"We're in a relationship," Archie persisted.

Olivia crossed her arms. "Then prove it."

Prove it? What does she mean by 'prove it'? How were they supposed to even do that? Man, he just wanted this to all end.

"Okay," Archie chuckled nervously. His hand left his back to caress Ponyboy's face, and before he could react, his jaw was forced to the side. Archie leaned forward, causing him to freeze like a deer caught in headlights. Oh, crap! Ponyboy's eyes went wide when Archie's soft lips gently pressed on top of his. Again, his brain went blank and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. So, he just stood there, unmoving. His hands shakily reached up to press against Archie's firm chest, pushing him back weakly, but his limbs felt like jello.

After several seconds, much to Ponyboy's relief, Archie pulled away. He turned his head to smirk at his now ex-girlfriend. "Was that enough proof?"

Olivia's face was red, almost as much as Ponyboy's. She gaped like a fish before quickly regaining composure. She scoffed, looking at the pair with disgust. "You two are disgusting, you know that?" she spat.

With that, she stormed out of the bathroom. As soon as the door shuttered closed, Archie pushed Ponyboy back, who was still dazed. His lips still felt like Archie's were still on it, tingling. His heartbeat was pounding against his chest. It never went that fast. "What… What… Um…" Ponyboy blubbered, unable to form sentences. Finally, he settled on, "That was my first kiss."

Archie raised his eyebrow judgingly. "Your first kiss? Seriously? No wonder why you just stood there. Anyway, thanks for doing that, grease."

Ponyboy shook his head, rubbing at his cheeks. He was only fourteen, what was he expecting? Granted, Archie didn't know his age or who he exactly was. But, man, his first kiss wasn't going to be special like how they are written in books and movies. "I have a name, you know. It's Ponyboy."

" _Ponyboy_?" Archer busted out in laughter and Ponyboy felt his ears heat up again. "What kind of name is that?"

"Well, _Archie_ , I like my name."

The other male frowned upon Ponyboy saying his name. "Don't call me Archie."

"But, isn't that your name?" Ponyboy looked at him quizzically.

"No. That's what Olivia started calling me. It's Archer."

"Archer," Ponyboy repeated, testing the sound of it on his tongue. It was an original name; a nice, tuff name. But something was telling him that Archer was keeping something from him. He shook his head. It was probably nothing and wasn't his business at all. What did matter though was why he was still chumming up with the Soc that practically assaulted him. Ponyboy crossed his arms, hardening his glare. "Whatever, I need to get back to class."

His need to go to the bathroom had long since been forgotten. Ponyboy spun around on his heel to leave, but before he could open the door enough for him to slip out, Archer slammed and held it shut, corning the younger teen. He towered over him, making Pony feel like an ant and instinctively shrank back, pressing his back against the door. Their eyes locked onto each other, unwavering, for a long moment before Archer said, "Hold on, grease."

"What do you want, Soc?" Ponyboy growled, glowering.

"I want you to continue pretending to be my boyfriend."

Ponyboy raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Soc was asking to spend more (intimate) time with him? The thought of it made his stomach turn uneasily. "And why would I do that?"

"Well, if I know Olivia enough, she is already spreading the news about us around school. It'll be suspicious if we only stayed in a relationship for just those few minutes. People would automatically assume that our relationship was fake, which would ruin both of us. They will never stop making fun of us. I can't even imagine it." He sighed, pushing away from Ponyboy who let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"I don't care if people make fun of me for being in a fake relationship, but you didn't answer my question. Why should _I_ help _you_?"

The taller male hummed. "Well, for starters, your status will go up. Being with me will shoot you straight up the ranks."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. Typical Soc being conceited when it comes to popularity and status. "But I don't want that. Besides, your status will most likely go down instead. Both of ours will. Being gay isn't accepted, you know. It's looked down on."

"I'm not gay though," Archer objected.

"Yeah, and neither am I."

Archer scoffed in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe. You always seemed like you like guys to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ponyboy frowned. Gay? Did he really seem gay to people? Maybe it was because he had yet to fully be dunked into puberty.

"Well, you never seemed interested in girls. There were a few girls that tried to get with you, but you brushed them aside without even looking at them."

When was all of this? Sure, some females would talk to him, but he didn't think anything about it. Were they really trying to ask him out? He never felt attracted to them. Sure, they were all pretty, but they never really sparked anything within him. Again, he blamed his slow but steady integration into puberty for that. But, one thing's for sure, he wasn't gay. He didn't want to be. He just wanted to be normal and fit in as best as he could. Life would be easier if he was normal.

They were getting off-topic, Ponyboy noted. He just wanted to go and Archer was intentionally dragging the conversation on. "Whatever. I'm not going to do it. I don't want to help you. Spending time with you would be so miserable."

Archer crossed his arms, curving his lips downward and huffing. "Man, you're so negative."

"No, just irritated," Ponyboy retorted through gritted teeth.

Ponyboy wasn't budging, and Archer knew that. He couldn't give up now though. With a sigh, he said, "Look, I know that you don't want to do it. Hell, I don't either. I don't even want to be in the same room as you. We just need to and act like we're in a relationship for maybe a month before we can go our separate ways. Then we never have to talk to each other again."

Pony shook his head. The bell went off, signaling the end of the period. Archer didn't have much time until people start infiltrating the bathroom. He scratched at his hair. He had to wrap everything up. "How about this," Archer continued. "Just think about it. Tell me if you want to continue this fake relationship later. If not, then I guess I can figure something out. But it'll only be for a month, I swear. Then we can break up."

"A month with you? _Hurray_ …" Sarcasm heavily laced in Ponyboy's voice. He pursed his lips. There was something that he was still confused about. "Hey, why did you pretend to be my boyfriend? Why did you break up with Olivia? What was that all about?"

"Because she was psycho!" Archer threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "It was the only thing that was left that would shake her off of me! I tried breaking up with her many times before but she just manipulates me into staying with her! I just wanted her to go!"

"But now both of us have to deal with society thinking that we are gay. People are going to pick on me—on us—as well as our families because of you. We're going to be called names and have things thrown at us. People that we love dearly will get hurt. _We_ will get hurt."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Archer tightly accepted, voice serious and face turning stoic. It was like his emotions were sucked out with a vacuum. It gave Ponyboy chills that sent shivers down his spine.

He shook his head. He couldn't afford anything to happen to him or the gang. They were already walking on a tightrope. "But I'm not willing to. Even though you physically and frugally have more than me, I have way more to lose. I just can't risk anything as you can."

The door suddenly opened and Ponyboy had to quickly step aside to prevent it from slamming into him. A few students stepped inside the bathroom, eyeing them weirdly as they walked towards the urinals. Ponyboy took that as an opportunity to slip out of the bathroom and merge with the crowd of students outside before Archer could grab him again. He didn't look over his shoulder to check to see if Archer was following him.

He rubbed at his cheeks again. Man, his cheeks still felt like they were burning. He hoped that he wasn't red still.

"Just think about it!" Archer called out over the boisterous chatter of the students. Ponyboy kept walking with his head down though. He wasn't going to accept the proposal and that was that. He wasn't going to get more involved in that Soc's scheme.

Ponyboy just didn't know how quickly someone's decision could change.


	2. Deal? Deal.

The proposal had completely slipped from Ponyboy's mind when he returned home that afternoon. He had other things that occupied it instead. Like how fast he could finish his homework so that he would be able to go and watch the new film that came out that day, for example. It was a weekday, so it was difficult to convince Darry to let him go out and watch it, but he managed to get permission. Ponyboy hated how he always had to get the okay on anything he did. It made him feel like a kid.

Ponyboy sighed as he tapped his pen against his desk—the clicks being like a metronome. His head felt like someone was bashing a hammer into it. Fortunately, after spending a few hours on it, he was almost finished with it. The tapping of his pen became even faster the closer he got to completion, his heel patting the ground in time with it. When he scribbled the last answer down on the sheet of paper, he slammed his pencil against the desktop and leaned back in his chair. Ponyboy interlocked his fingers, stretching his arms above his head with a satisfied groan. Finally.

After his dominant hand stopped cramping up, he exited his bedroom and headed into the living room. The gang was already there, lounging around and doing something to occupy themselves to pass time. They all planned on going together that evening, so they decided to stay in his house until Ponyboy could finish his homework.

When Ponyboy came into view, the gang all looked up from what they were doing to stare at him. Shifting uncomfortably, Ponyboy announced, "I'm finished. We can go now."

"That was fast," Darry commented, walking up to him. He shot him an accusing look. "Are you sure that you did everything correctly?"

Ponyboy couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of course, Darry would be pressing him about his efficiency. It was always about grades for him. " _Yes_ , Darry. Can we go now? I don't want to miss it."

Darry nodded, pulling the keys to his truck out of his pocket. "Let's go. I'll be checking over your work just in case when we get back."

"Yeah, okay." Ponyboy waved his hand with a straight face, walking out of the house. He just wanted to go watch the movie.

It was rare for all of them to go out together to do something. They still hung out with each other, but it was hard to plan something with all of them there. At least one of them usually had something else to do, so it surprised Ponyboy when he was told that the entire gang was tagging along as well. He thought it was just going to be him and Johnny. It shocked him even more when they agreed on going to a movie. A _movie_. He knew that Soda and Darry weren't movie type of people. Soda couldn't sit still through one of them and Darry tried not to be bothered by them at all. No one dug movies like he did.

Ponyboy shouldn't have expected much because a quarter way through the movie, Soda started to bounce his knees up and down in boredom. His eyes left the screen to observe the people around him. Most people were just watching the movie so there wasn't much to look at. Steve noticed him looking around and lightly nudged him with his elbow. Soda glanced over as Steve pointed to a group of Soc girls with their boyfriends. They talked about them lowly to each other to not disturb anyone around them, but it was loud enough to distract Ponyboy from the movie. Pony in return tried to drown them out which mostly worked until Steve hit his arm to catch his attention.

"Hey, found a girl yet?" Steve teased with a knowing smile. Why did he sit next to Steve? Anywhere would have been better than next to him.

"No," Ponyboy answered with so much boredom laced in his tone that it should have been a sign for Steve to drop the topic. But what were the chances of that happening? He was easy to pick on. This wasn't the first time that someone from the gang teased him about not being in a relationship yet. They all (minus Johnny who doesn't get teased for the same issue) had girlfriends by the time they were in middle school. Ponyboy was in his second year of high school now and he still hasn't dated anyone. He was sick of listening to their jokes. He just wasn't interested yet.

"You're probably never going to get a girlfriend at this point," Steve pressed.

"Steve!" Soda scolded but lightly enough so that it sounded playful. He chuckled a bit, believing that his best friend was just pulling his brother's leg, but Ponyboy knew better. Steve did whatever he could to make him angry. It was practically done as leisure for him.

"It's true! He's not interested yet and that's weird! It's not normal! Actually, it's kind of pathetic."

Hearing the conversation, the gang joined in. "It is really weird," Dally agreed.

"When I was your age, I had already been in a few relationships," Two-Bit added.

"You need to go out more and meet more people," Darry chided. The gang burst out laughing, which earned many people around them to shush at them. They ignored them and continued teasing him—talking about sex, relationship tips, and stuff like that.

Ponyboy bit his bottom lip, face turning red with embarrassment. Why do they always have to do this? Why couldn't they just leave him be?

Archer's proposal popped up in his head. If he accepted it, they would stop making fun of him. They wouldn't look at him like he was some sort of kid anymore. It all sounded so tempting but he couldn't… could he? No. Definitely not. Ponyboy couldn't believe that he even considered it. He didn't even know how the gang would react if he just told them he was dating a guy. Hell, even a Soc. He wasn't sure if the gang would accept him if he was gay. They probably would but the problem was that he wasn't one hundred percent sure. There was a chance that they would instantly hate him. What if he gets kicked out of the house because of the fake relationship? Ponyboy had heard about parents doing that with their child if they were gay. He didn't want that to happen to him. There was just too much at risk. He couldn't do it.

"The only action that he would get is if he becomes a prostitute," Steve continued and the gang, except for Johnny, chuckled. It was supposed to be a joke; he knew that. But it still hurt. Did they really have no faith in him? He dug his fingernails in the armrest of his chair, chest tightening so much that it felt like someone was sitting on it.

Johnny glanced over to his friend to check up on him. Ponyboy had suspiciously fallen silent when the gang started to tease him. He usually blew up on them in embarrassed sputters. Johnny's lips turned downwards when he saw the hurt expression on the other's face. He nudged Pony a bit and said, "You okay?"

Snapping out of his daze, Ponyboy shot his eyes to Johnny before nodding, swallowing thickly. "Yeah, I'm okay," he confirmed, giving him a small, tight smile that was meant to be reassuring but wasn't. In a normal case, the gang would drop the jesters when they noticed how much their words were hurting him, but this time was different.

Steve stole another glance at him and took his confirmation as something else, and his words were what finally set Ponyboy off the edge. "Did that really hurt you? Seriously? No wonder why nobody wants you. You're too soft."

Oh, fuck it. He couldn't take this anymore.

Having enough, Ponyboy finally snapped. He glowered at Steve. Without fully thinking it through, Ponyboy admitted, "I am in a relationship."

Immediately, everyone fell silent, looking at Ponyboy with wide eyes that were as big as plates. They were surprised, to say the least, but they also didn't believe him. The new information came out of the blue and Ponyboy never showed any signs of liking someone before. He was a very expressive person. Surely, he would have shown signs—giddy smiles or even blushing—that would indicate something different was happening in his life like a relationship. He showed none of that, which was suspicious.

"Really?" Dally slowly asked and Ponyboy nodded feverishly. He was starting to regret his decision now. What if they found out that he was lying? Man, they wouldn't let him live it down. It was too late to turn back now. He just had to keep up the act to the fullest capacity.

Soda smiled excitedly, easily believing him. "Why didn't you tell us?" he beamed. His smile was so bright that Ponyboy couldn't help but look away. To them, it seemed like he was embarrassed about the confession. But to him, it was out of shame.

"Because you always tease me," Ponyboy lied. Thank goodness he was pretty decent at acting and lying. "I didn't want you involved in it and I didn't want you to scare them away."

"How long has this been going on?" Darry asked, interested, leaning forward to look at him better.

Ponyboy shrugged. "Not that long now."

Two-Bit bounced in his seat with a huge grin that rivaled Soda's. "When are we going to meet her?"

 _Her_. Of course, they were expecting it to be a female. They were definitely going to be too disappointed in him when they find out that he wasn't dating a girl. It wasn't like he could hide it from them either. The news of him being in a relationship with Archer would have probably spread around most of the school by now, and it wasn't like he was the only person in the gang that went. They were bound to hear the rumors. "Whenever they want to come over."

"I've never seen you with a girl at school," Steve commented and Ponyboy wanted to scream. Why couldn't they just drop it?

"Oh, trust me. You'll find out about it at school pretty soon," Ponyboy said through clenched teeth. Before they had the chance to press him even further for more information, the credits to the movie rolled up, indicating that it was finished, and the young teen shot up to his feet, speeding towards the exit. He weaved through other people that were exiting the cinema, trying to gain as much distance away from the gang as possible, but they managed to follow right behind him to his disappointment. Ponyboy only slowed down his pace when they got outside. The fresh, brisk, night air immediately washed out the strong movie theater popcorn scent that previously infiltrated his nose. He shivered as he pushed forward ahead of the gang a bit. They spoke to each other about something. Ponyboy didn't pay attention anymore.

Johnny scurried up next to him, looking at him with slight betrayal and disappointment. A frown adorned his lips. "Why didn't you tell me that you were dating someone?" he whispered so that the gang wouldn't hear the conversation and join in. They told each other everything. They have never kept anything from each other before. Hell, they didn't even have to talk to each other to know what's been going on in their minds. That was how close they were.

It wasn't like he wanted to keep the whole fake relationship ordeal a secret. Ponyboy was dying to tell Johnny what was really going on, but he just couldn't. He couldn't risk slipping up one little bit.

"I just… I wanted to keep it as private as possible. Both of us did… but then we were found out and now most of the school probably knows."

Johnny nodded, understanding, before he tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why would it matter if the entire school knows?"

"Because…" Ponyboy bit his bottom lip. He shook his head. "You'll find out soon."

Johnny didn't ask him anything more after that to the relief of Pony. Even though the other being able to read him so well was sometimes overbearing, it was also a trait that he loved. He knew what Ponyboy wanted and needed and, this time, he knew that he didn't want to talk about the matters anymore. So, he backed away from the topic.

The gang arrived back at the Curtis house where everyone started to go their own separate ways. Ponyboy almost wished that they would stay despite it risking them asking more questions about his 'relationship'. At least then he could stay in the illusion that there was more time until he had to return to school the next day.

"Get ready to go to bed," Darry ordered, pointing inside the house. "It's late and you have school tomorrow."

Ponyboy wished that he didn't. He didn't want to face the school, and the gang in that matter, tomorrow. When he finally did lie down in bed after finishing his sleep preparations, he found it hard to slip into slumber. His stomach turned in nervousness almost like he was about to go onto a rollercoaster. He felt so sick that he started to hug his pillow for some relief. He hardly got a blink of sleep that night.

* * *

When morning finally came, Ponyboy groggily dragged himself out of bed, feeling dead to the world. He was not a morning person at all. After he slowly got ready for the day, he left his bedroom. Soda had already left to go to work, having a morning shift. Darry also had one but at a slightly later time. He had to leave in a few minutes so he couldn't take Ponyboy to school. Two-Bit was ditching school that day, as stated by him the night before. This meant that he and Johnny had to carpool with Steve, walk, or take the bus. Not wanting to deal with Steve or the bus, Ponyboy opted to walk. It was probably for the best anyways.

Johnny was the only person in the living room when he entered, waiting for him with a backpack already slung around his shoulders. He smiled gently at him. "Good morning," he greeted with a short wave.

"Good morning, Johnnycakes," Ponyboy replied with a matching smile, taking out a fork from a drawer to start eating the plate of eggs that had been placed out for him to eat. "Did you eat anything yet?"

Nodding, Johnny stood up, looking at the time. "Is Steve coming over to drive us?"

Ponyboy shrugged. "I want to walk today. Is that okay?"

Again, he nodded. "Then we should go soon or we're going to be late."

That's what Ponyboy hoped, but he had to face the school at some point. He couldn't keep avoiding it. "I know," he sighed. "Let me finish this and we can go."

Arriving at school seemed a lot faster than what he thought it was going to take. Time sped up so much with him being nervous and all. It seemed like a minute ago they were standing in his living room. Now, they were at the front doors of the school, moments before they entered the hellhole. Ponyboy took a deep breath, hands slightly shaking as he pushed open the door, expecting the worse.

' _Just get it over with'_ , he tried to tell himself to help himself calm down. As soon as he took a few steps inside, he noticed some people turn to look at him, pointing their fingers. They whispered amongst themselves, voices muffled by the loud chatter of the school. But it didn't take a genius to find out what they were generally saying. Ponyboy rubbed his forearm as he fastened his eyes to the floor. He continued forward, feeling his skin crawl as more people turned to him. Johnny noticed the attention as well and poke's Ponyboy's arm.

"Why is everyone staring at you?" he asked.

"Because of the relationship I'm in," Ponyboy simply answered, finally looking up. He wished that he didn't. The people that were looking at him had disgust written all over their faces. Pony shrunk back a bit in himself. This is what he was afraid of.

He needed to find Archer and settle things. He scanned around for the Soc but couldn't find him. Where was he? He had to talk to him now.

"But that wouldn't cause everyone to look at you like that?" Johnny continued.

Suddenly, Archer came into view and Ponyboy immediately marched over to him. His back was facing him, so he didn't notice him until the people that were talking to the Soc pointed him out. He spun around in surprise. Before he could speak, Ponyboy declared, "Let's do it."

The people around them were confused about what Ponyboy meant, but Archer knew. He nodded with a cocky smirk blown on his face. He leaned forward, and, quickly pressed his soft lips against Pony's before he could back away. Gasps erupted around him and Ponyboy blushed ferociously, heart pounding against his chest from embarrassment. Fortunately, the kiss was short as it was gone before he had time to fully process what was happening. Archer pulled away and Pony instantly shot him a glare.

"Ponyboy?" Johnny murmured. "What… You're…"

Ponyboy forgot that he was there. Crap. He closed his eyes so tightly that wrinkles formed around the corners. He let out a heavy sigh before turning to his friend shakily. Oh man, Johnny hated him now. He was disgusted with him.

But, instead of disgust, Johnny looked at him with confusion as well as understandment. He now knew why Ponyboy received those glares and why he wanted to keep the relationship a secret.

"Can we… Can we talk about this later?" Ponyboy asked softly, feeling a pit in his stomach. Johnny nodded and Ponyboy turned back to Archer. "We need to talk. _Alone_."

* * *

"What did you want to talk about?" Archer asked when they were alone. They were now sitting in an empty classroom that was only lit up by the light coming through the few windows.

"I'm risking a lot for this, you know," Ponyboy glowered, crossing his arms.

"What made you change your mind then?"

Ponyboy paused, unsure if he should share why he accepted the deal. Archer was sure to make fun of him and he couldn't have that happening on both ends. But he was going to probably bug him about it until he confessed. "The gang was teasing me about never being in a relationship before. They do it all the time and I just got sick of it… I wasn't fully thinking, but I can't turn back now. The damage is already done." Ponyboy chewed on his bottom lip, picking at some flaking skin on his arms with his nails "Anyway, if we're going to do this, we have to make rules."

Archer clenched his jaw for a moment, looking annoyed. "Rules?"

"Restrictions. You know, to set some boundaries so we aren't always uncomfortable?"

"Like what exactly?"

"Like… I don't want you to kiss me anymore."

The Soc raised his eyebrow in disbelief. " _Are you kidding me_? We have to. It'll be suspicious if people don't see us kissing. I know you haven't been in a relationship before, but kissing is a thing that happens."

That was true. People would catch on almost immediately. "I just don't want all of my intimate moments to be fake." He whined.

"It's only going to last a month. It's not like all of your firsts will be taken by me. Come on, man. Compromise."

Ponyboy thought about it for a long moment. Man, he hated this. He definitely didn't think this through. What was he going to do? "Then… how about we do it sometimes and only in public?" His face was red as he continued speaking. This was so embarrassing. He didn't want to kiss the Soc whatsoever. The thought of it made him want to wash his mouth out with soap.

"That's what I was thinking. I seriously don't want to kiss you if I don't have to."

The two spoke to each other about what exactly it is they wanted to get out of the whole thing and what they were okay with. They continued talking until the bell rung, signaling the students that their first class would be starting soon.

Ponyboy swung his bag over his shoulder and started to head outside without saying goodbye. Before he could leave, Archer said, "One more thing. If we end up going at this long enough, which I doubt would happen, then you have to come with me to my basketball trip. We're allowed to bring guests."

Ponyboy didn't think that it would happen, seeing how he was already itching to break it off. That is exactly why he replied with, "Deal."


	3. What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You

"Hey, he's the gay guy, isn't he?" someone whispered loudly behind Ponyboy, causing the boy to shrink down in his desk in response. This is what it's probably going to be like from now on—people talking behind his back and insulting him. He should probably get used to it. He was probably going to face this stigma for the rest of his time in high school, which was a little bit more than two and a half more years, unfortunately.

"It's disgusting. Doesn't he know how gross that is?" another student hissed back. Ponyboy could feel their glares on the back of his head, like needles pressing into his delicate skin. He wanted to spin around and snap some sort of clever comeback at them, but he just couldn't. It would only bring more attention to him and more students turning against him all at one time. So, he just dealt with it. Besides, it wasn't like any of was true or anything. It was just frustrating. He wondered if Archer was dealing with the same stuff. Probably not because Socs are privileged and everything. People probably didn't believe that he could be gay, despite people seeing them kiss. They probably just thought Ponyboy was fishing for attention.

"Class, please pass back these papers once I hand the stack to you," the teacher instructed, stopping at each row of desks and handing the students their own little stack of work pages. Slowly, they were all passed back without a word. When the person in front of him turned around to pass him the stack, they looked disgruntled, eyebrows furrowed together so much that they formed a monobrow. The student plopped the stack on his desk before he could try to grab it and whipped back around. Thinly frowning, Ponyboy took one of the sheets and turned around to pass the rest back, but, during the small (and incredibly rude) exchange, he forgot about the homophobic guy behind him that insulted him. They instantly met eyes and he glared at Ponyboy before carefully snatching the stack away, trying his best to not touch Ponyboy's hands as if they were riddled with disease.

The Soc sighed in relief when Ponyboy let go of the stack when he took it, muttering to himself, "Can't touch him or else it might spread."

'It' meant being gay. Ponyboy rolled his eyes. How insensitive and dumb could somebody be to think that gay was infectious? It made literally no sense. But he definitely wasn't going to go into a fight about it, so, he turned back around, slumping against his chair with his arms crossed.

He thought that it would end there; that the crap attitude would stop for the rest of the class. But the student raised his hand. "Mr. Porter?" he called out, voice ringing throughout the quieter-than-usual classroom.

"Yes?" the teacher replied, looking up from his podium at his name being said.

"Can I please move to another seat?"

"Why do you want to change seats? You've been fine there since the beginning of the school year."

"I don't feel safe sitting next to Ponyboy. I feel like he's been trying to make a move on me recently, and I don't want to be sexually assaulted." The class went silent, staring at the greaser now with intense eyes. Ponyboy, at that moment, wished that he could just be absorbed into the desk and just disappear. But, alas, he couldn't, so, instead, he just gaped. His eyes met with those of the teacher's, who was observing him curiously.

"I haven't been hitting on him," Ponyboy objected, voice cracking a bit. "We've never even spoken to each other before."

The teacher gave him a sympathetic expression like he believed what he claimed, but frowned, nonetheless. Mr. Porter still had to be as accommodating as possible. He didn't want any of the parents hunting him for blood. "If you feel that way, go sit in the empty desk there in the back," he offered to the Soc. As soon as he said that, the student's that sat around Ponyboy at the other desks raised their hands. "And for the other students that want to change seats, there cannot be any more accommodations, but, if you want, you may sit on the floor in the front." They dropped them back down, grumbling.

After that, the class returned to how it was before. Well, besides the comments being thrown around about him, even more so now. The clock was ticking slowly, almost as if someone was slowing down the speed of the world. It was going to be a long day, that was for sure. Ponyboy just wanted to go home and be swallowed up by the covers of his bed.

* * *

Finally, after hours of torture from his classmates in all of his classes, everyone was released. The shrill of the final bell of the day was heaven to everyone's ears. And, just like an anthill being stepped on, the students of the institution filed out of their classrooms all at once, flooding the hallways so much that people were pressed up against each other like sardines. They all pushed forward, holding onto the backpacks of their friends for dear life. Some of the students fell and were trapped under the volley of students, nearly getting trampled on by them. Fortunately, the post-final bell horror was soon over as there weren't too many students that attended Will Rogers High School.

Meanwhile, instead of being in that hectic mess, Ponyboy waited until most students went outside the school before collecting his things and following. The blazing sun caused him to squint as he adjusted to the new lighting. He shaded his eyes with his hands, scanning the area to see if Johnny was outside yet or if Steve was there in the parking lot. After what he just went through, he just wanted to leave the premises as quickly as possible. He decided that dealing with Steve was far better than with his classmates. Ponyboy had to admit, he would rather be handcuffed to Steve for an entire week than to be in just one of his classes for less than an hour. That's how bad it was.

He didn't see anyone, meaning that they probably weren't outside yet. So, he went to stand in whatever shade he could find to wait for them. It was hot for October. That was before a firm arm wrapped around his waist. Ponyboy immediately tensed up. He went to push whoever it was away, but the person held onto him tightly. Pony then took this time to glare at whoever it was and to identify the person. It couldn't be Two-Bit because he wasn't there, and Steve and Johnny wouldn't do that. He glowered when he saw that it was Archer.

"Hold still, greaser," he commanded, mirroring his expression but only for a second before he pulled on a less-than-obvious mask. His lips curled up in a smile, not matching the dullness in his eyes. It made Ponyboy feel sick. Or maybe that was from his scent. Standing so close to him, he could smell the fading fragrance of pumpkin, apple, and cinnamon. He smelt like an iconic autumn candle. The rich scent made his head spin, even though it smelled like it was moments from fading away. Yes, it definitely made him feel sick to the stomach. Or, at least, that's what he told himself. He didn't want to admit it, but he thought it actually smelled really good.

"What do you want, Archer?" Ponyboy snapped, voice low to not raise any suspicion. Archer let go of him and he took a step back to separate them. The scent cleared from his palette, clearing his head.

"I just wanted to spend some quality time with you, _babe_." That word. He did not like that word whatsoever. It made Ponyboy's skin crawl in disgust and it made him throw up in his mouth a little. It was a teasing word, one that sounded legit to other people but mocking to him. God, he hated Archer. He hated him with a passion. It's only been a day since he met him, but he wanted the month to be over so that he wouldn't have to even look at the damned Soc again.

Ponyboy crossed his arms in irritation. "Don't call me that."

"Then what term of endearment do you want me to call you?"

"Anything would be better than _that_."

"Okay, dear—"

"No."

"Honey."

"Nope."

"Sweetie."

"Nu-uh."

"Hunkalicious."

Annoyed, Ponyboy's lip twitched. "Now you're just purposefully trying to make it worse. And is that even a word?"

"Don't know, but we have to call each other something."

"How about our own actual names? You know, like normal people?"

"It's common to call people names when in a relationship. You need to get that through your prude brain."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "Well we aren't in a relationship, so I don't appreciate you just calling me those names like a catcaller. How could you even be that shameless?"

Archer shrugged, deciding to change the topic. "It's whatever. Now, come on, let's go."

That caught Ponyboy's attention. He looked at the other suspiciously, raising his eyebrow. "Go where?"

"I'm taking you home. People will eat it up. Now, come on!"

"I don't want to spend more time than necessary with you. Besides, someone is already waiting for me."

It was Archer's turn to raise an eyebrow. "If someone is waiting for you, then why were you just waiting here?"

"Because, um," Ponyboy stumbled over his words. He skittered his eyes around, searching for something that would help him. That's when he saw Steve walking to his vehicle. "He's right there. I'm going now."

Ponyboy started to fast walk to Steve. Archer followed right next to him. Before the young greaser could get anywhere close to where he was heading to, the Soc tightly grabbed his arm, pulling him towards his car.

"Let go!" Ponyboy hissed but still walked along with him to not have more people turn to them.

"Come on," Archer ordered with a low growl, squeezing even tighter. He was probably going to bruise from it later. "I don't really want to do this either, but let's just get this over with."

Archer pushed him towards his light green Corvair. While this was all happening, Ponyboy caught eye contact with Steve who stood up straighter when he noticed the Soc. He started to head over to him. Ponyboy considered if he should just struggle until Steve made it, but then he remembered that he didn't know about him being in a "gay relationship" … probably. A blush crept up onto his face and he jumped into the car without a second word. He didn't want to deal with that yet.

Archer jumped into the driver's side, starting the ignition. The car rumbled to life and moved forward, and all Ponyboy could do at that point was to watch Steve slowing to a stop in the side view mirror, getting smaller and smaller the further they went.

The drive to the house was silent for the most part. The tension was high as they were both stuck with wondering if they should talk or not. Instead, Ponyboy just thought about what he should do when he gets home. Obviously, he was going to have to exit the car and close the door to his house before Archer could have the chance to follow him. Hopefully, it was just a drop-off instead of a visit.

Man, would Archer follow him in his house? Probably. From the whole nickname incident, it was safe to assume that he would do whatever he wanted to do without putting a thought into it. How he was like that, Ponyboy would never understand. He sort of envied people that didn't end up as a blushing ball of goo at anything remotely uncomfortable.

Ponyboy looked at the Soc with a frown. Archer was focused completely on driving, not even noticing that he was observing him. At a closer look, Ponyboy noticed that Archer's appearance wasn't as perfect as he thought it was before. He started to notice the small little details that adorned his face. He didn't see it before, but Archer had faded acne scars as well as a small, light, old scar that ran across his cheek—not enough to look tuff, but enough to make someone wonder what exactly happened. As he drove, his shoulders were hunched over like a less-extreme version of the old movie, _The Hunchback of Notre Dame._

When he was observing him, Ponyboy remembered something. "Hey, why do you smell like pumpkins?" he asked. It wasn't a scent that would normally be on a guy.

Archer looked over to him before back to the road. "My mom's always burning candles. I think she's taken up the hippie lifestyle or something with all the candles and incense and all. Yesterday, she was burning a vanilla candle."

Ponyboy nodded. Before he could question him any further, his house rolled up and the nice, car squeaked to a stop in front of it. Instantly, Ponyboy bounded out of the car, swinging his backpack over his shoulder in one fluid motion.

"What? No thank you?" the Soc complained with a mocking tone.

"Thanks for the ride," Ponyboy replied mindlessly before slamming the door shut. He glanced at the window. It looked like the gang was all practically there besides Johnny and Steve who were probably on their way.

Two-Bit looked out the window at the sound of the car door slamming. His eyes instantly zeroed onto the Soc's car, eyes narrowing and turning protective. Ponyboy gulped at the sight of it and hurried up his pace to avoid conflict. He watched as Two-Bit turned around and said something to the other members of the gang that he couldn't hear before he disappeared from the window. Before anybody from the gang could do something, however, Ponyboy entered the house, closing the door behind him. Archer didn't follow him, to his relief.

"Why did a Soc drop you off?" Two-Bit asked, returning back to the window to stare at the car that was still parked outside.

"He offered to," Ponyboy replied blandly, dropping his backpack to the floor and walking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of Pepsi.

"You can't just do that. He could have done something to you," Darry scolded, walking inside the kitchen to follow his brother.

Ponyboy clenched his jaw, popping open the bottle. "He's not going to do anything to me."

"How could you be sure about that? You could have gotten hurt!"

At that time, the front door opened again. At first, Ponyboy thought that it was Steve and Johnny since they weren't too far behind. But then he heard everyone shoot up to their feet from where they were sitting. Stuff fell onto the floor in a clatter and the coffee table moved forward a few feet. That's when he knew that neither Steve nor Johnny was there. He knew who it was just from the gang's shocked and angry reactions. He didn't need a confirmation on if what he was thinking about was actually Archer, but he received one.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" Dally bellowed, stepping forward and reached in his back pocket to flip out a switchblade.

"You're trespassing, Soc," Two-Bit added, also brandishing his blade.

Ponyboy then took that time to peek out of the kitchen and saw Archer there with his hands raised in mock surrender. He grinned sheepishly; again, not reaching his eyes. "Relax, I'm not here to do any harm," he reassured, eyes locking onto Ponyboy who looked perplexed and nervous. "I just dropped Ponyboy home, nothing more."

"Who are you?" Soda asked. He looked between his brother and the intruder and slightly stepped between them to separate them. He didn't know exactly what the Soc was doing here. Again, the pair glanced at each other and Ponyboy knew he had to step up. He walked to the Soc's side, despite the yells of objections, but kept some distance between them as a precautionary measure just in case Archer tried to embarrass him.

"This is Archer," Ponyboy introduced, gesturing to the Soc. "He's telling the truth. He's not going to do anything fishy or anything. I just didn't know he was _coming inside_." The last sentence sounded forced to everyone's ears. Archer just grinned devilishly at him.

"I just wanted to meet your family," he explained. "Is this all of them?"

As soon as he said that, the front door comically swung open again, and Steve and Johnny finally stepped inside. They've already seen the fancy car that was parked in front of the house and Steve already explained how "the kid's been kidnapped" to Johnny. The poor puppy-like greaser didn't have the chance to explain who it probably was with how much Steve complained and Ponyboy.

" _You_!" Steve yelled, glaring at the Soc. He marched forward; hands balled into fists. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Steve, it's fine," Ponyboy interrupted, blocking the path to his fake boyfriend. "He just wanted to drop me off."

"Yeah! I wouldn't do a thing to Ponyboy that would harm him. He's too special," Archer continued, causing Ponyboy to shoot him a look.

At that, Darry narrowed his eyes. Ponyboy, in response, looked away from everybody, taking a long drink of his beverage to avoid awkwardness. "What exactly is your relationship to Ponyboy?" he asked.

Archer face brightened up. Oh, golly, here it comes. It was the moment that he wanted to avoid at all costs. He knew they hand to know about the "relationship" someday, but he thought he had a little bit more time. "Well… I'm his boyfriend."

Ponyboy choked on his drink at the blatant answer as the gang (minus Johnny) stared at him in absolute shock. If he wasn't so nervous, he would have laughed at the expressions on their faces. But, now, he could hardly look at them, fear running through his veins. His hands grasped the glass bottle so tightly that it felt like it was going to shatter at any moment. What was the gang going to think about him now? He wasn't gay, but they didn't know that. What if they kicked him out? He couldn't handle that!

"Boy… friend? As in together?" Two-Bit started, gaping, pointing between the two in disbelief. "You're gay?"


	4. Don't Leave Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will contain some slurs

"You're gay?" The voice sounded loud as if he were shouting in a library. It boomed throughout the house, echoing off the walls. It felt so loud that it was hard to capture the tone of it. Ponyboy couldn't tell what he was thinking about.

He fixed his eyes down at his feet, unable to look at the gang directly due to how much shame he was feeling. He could feel all of them looking at him like small lasers were being burned into his flesh. Ponyboy solemnly nodded with clenched teeth. Even though he agreed to what Two-Bit asked him, he was screaming on the inside about how he wasn't gay. He was dying to just tell the gang about the situation he was in because he knew that they wouldn't rat him out. They would be more than happy to play along as well with the small price of him never being able to live it down. However, that was the least of his problems. His main problem was, he wasn't sure what Archer would do to him if he told the truth to the gang. Despite Ponyboy having some sort of say in the agreement, Archer practically had all of the power.

Sure, Ponyboy could probably hold his own if it came down to physically fighting, but Archer had more social influence than him. He didn't need to fight to make his life a living hell. It was already happening in his own home.

For a while, the house was dead silent. There wasn't even the sound of the rustling of clothes. There was only the hammering heart that was pumping away in Ponyboy's chest. It was so silent that he thought that the gang had just left him standing there. That was until a hand was gently placed on his timid shoulder, coaxing him to raise his head. Ponyboy did in a way that was so withdrawn that it made him seem like a cowering, hurt animal.

When he looked up, Two-Bit was standing in front of him, blocking the view of the rest of the gang behind him. For that, Ponyboy was slightly thankful. He didn't want to take on the gang all at one time. It was already overwhelming enough.

Two-Bit's eyebrows were furrowed together in concern and uncertainty. His eyes shifted back and forth between the pair.

Oh, Christ, Two-Bit was going to reject him. He hated him and for no reason too. Ponyboy couldn't take it. He didn't want the gang to all turn their backs on him. He looked back down at his feet again, too scared to meet his eyes. However, Two-Bit didn't let him. As soon as his face turned away, the older greaser said, "Ponyboy, look at me."

The voice was still so loud… but, this time, the tone was recognizable. It was comforting and soft like how Soda would soothe him after having a nightmare. It was softer than what he was used to hearing on Two-Bit, almost foreign-sounding.

"Come on, Pony, look at me," Two-Bit tried again. This time, Ponyboy did what he was asked and lifted his head. Nervousness with a sprinkle of fear was clearly written on his face. "It's okay. I don't think that you're gross or anything like that, if that's what you're worried about."

But why did he look apprehensive then? Why did he give him _that_ look?

As if reading his mind, Two-Bit explained. "I don't think anything differently of you… even if you do like… guys. I'm just confused, is all. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that you finally found someone, but…"

"But…" Ponyboy echoed, trying to squeeze more words out of Two-Bit.

"But why him?"

If the situation that he was in wasn't so serious, Ponyboy might have laughed a bit. He knew what was wrong with the picture. Greasers and Socs don't normally click together. That was just how it was. But he had to play dumb for the sake of the secret. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

"He's a Soc," Steve answered for Two-Bit. "No offense, kid, but you're going to find yourself in a lot of trouble with him and we're going to have to bail you out each time."

"I'll be fine. I could handle it," Ponyboy replied through tight lips.

"Steve, you seem pretty accepting about him being gay," Two-Bit acknowledged, raising an eyebrow. He thought that if any of them were against homosexual relationships, it would have been him. Steve had always been very opinionated and open to what he was thinking about.

He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck with his car greased fingernails. "Well, I always suspected that he was a faggot," Steve pointed out blatantly. At the slur, Ponyboy flinched, which was noticed by everybody in the house. _That word_. It made his stomach spin as if he were rolling uncontrollably down a steep hill. He had heard a number of men get called that word. He had heard it enough to know that it was incredibly insulting—more so than being called retarded or even a crybaby. It honestly pained him that he was called a fag; especially from someone from the gang. He was teased a lot about possibly being into guys from him (hell, the gang too), but he never thought that he would be called a fag. It felt surreal and he felt betrayal bubble within him. Somehow, he thought that being called any other slur would have been far better

After seeing the flinch, Steve quickly corrected himself, "I mean, you've never been interested in girls. You just ignored all of the flirting. I just assumed you were gay. Nothing wrong with that though."

Okay, Ponyboy didn't know if he was supposed to be offended by that or not. Sure, he wasn't too interested in girls yet, but that didn't mean he was gay. He was just younger than everybody else. He opened his mouth the object but closed it again right afterward. He wasn't really in the mood to dig himself into an even deeper hole than he was already in.

Apparently, he must have been making a face since Dally spoke up about it. "What's this look you're giving us, man?"

Ponyboy's nose twitched as his eyebrows sewed together. "What look?" he asked.

"That look… it's like you're judging us or something."

The young teen shook his head, lightly chewing on his bottom lip. "I'm just confused on why you're all not more against this."

"Nothing changes. You're still you no matter what," Johnny said with a small soothing smile.

"Kid, did you think we would care if you were gay or not?" Dally rang out. Although it came out harsh, it was comforting at the same time.

Ponyboy was confused about what he was supposed to feel. Should he be relieved that the gang was so accepting of him? Offended that some of them originally thought that he was gay? Disappointed that they couldn't figure out that something was off? Scared that they secretly were disgusted in him? Everything was just in a bundle within him.

"But still, why him?" Two-Bit brought back, gesturing to Archer who was standing beside the young greaser awkwardly.

Pony shot a glance at his partner in crime. He had hoped that the conversation would just end then and there. Now he had to come up with some sort of answer that would make him seem like he knew Archer like the back of his hand. The problem was: he didn't know him at all. They never had a decent conversation with each other, so they knew absolutely nothing. But still, he had to come up with something. Ponyboy racked his brain. "Not all Socs are bad," he started. "Just like how not all greasers are hoods. It's not that different on both sides. The only huge differences are the perspectives."

"But why him specifically?" Steve asked. "He doesn't seem like somebody you would like."

When could they just drop this topic? Ponyboy was running out of things to say.

"Archer is… " Ponyboy trailed off a bit. "I don't know how to describe it. He just understands me, and I understand him. Isn't that good enough?"

Before anybody could respond to that question, Darry spoke up. During the conversation, none of them noticed how Darry and Soda stayed silent.

"I'm sorry, but how can you all say that being a fag is normal?" Darry spat, eyes icier than glaciers. Ponyboy flinched, eyes widening impossibly wide.

No. Darry couldn't be homophobic, could he? After all of that? What about Soda? Oh, Christ, please don't let Soda be the same.

But, when Ponyboy shakily shifted his eyes to his other brother. Instantly, he felt his heart sink. Soda's eyes were just as cold as how Darry's were. So much disgust was stuffed inside of them that it made Soda not look like himself. He looked like an absolute stranger. Never in his life had Ponyboy seen that expression on his middle brother's face.

What he was dreading the most was coming true. He lost everything.

"I—" Ponyboy tried to get out, but his voice got caught in his throat. His mouth felt dry, but he hardly noticed it. He couldn't form any words. His hands shook so badly that he wanted someone to hold them so they could be still.

Please, no. Please, not them. Anybody but them. They were all that he had left when it came to family.

"This isn't natural. This isn't what our parents wanted you to be," Soda snapped.

"No, don't bring our parents into this," Ponyboy whimpered. It made the pang that he was feeling a hundred times worse. Would his parents actually think that he was gross if he were gay? No. His parents weren't like that. But, then again, he didn't think Soda was like that either. Soda was supposed to be different. Although he wanted to deny it, he was expecting Darry to act this way because he had always been harsh on him… but, Soda? Never in a million years.

Tears stung his eyes, threatening to spill out. He wanted to tell them the truth so badly. He was about to too, but Darry, again, spoke up.

"I'm so disappointed in you," he insulted. "You're just ruining everything. You can't have the life that I want you to have if you're a fag. I didn't sacrifice my future for you to mess up everything in the end because of your choice to be gay."

That was so messed up. Ponyboy didn't have to be gay to know that being homosexual wasn't a choice.

The gang stood their awkwardly. They all wanted to speak up, but they were too shocked. They knew that what they were saying to Pony was all wrong, but it felt like a frog was trapped in their throats.

"I don't even want to look at you," Darry continued.

"Hey—" Two-Bit started but was cut off.

"I don't either. I'm ashamed that you're my brother," Soda said. "You're supposed to end up with a girl… not another boy. It's just wrong."

And, just like that, something snapped in Ponyboy. He took a shaky step backward, one that brought everyone's attention to him.

"Ponyboy…" Johnny began, taking a step closer. His eyes were filled with concern and sympathy.

Everything was just too much for Ponyboy. The walls were closing in on him, suffocating him. He had to get out; run away. His brothers didn't want him. Nobody wanted him anymore. The gang was talking again—more like shouting—but he couldn't comprehend what they were saying. Their voices were muffled as if he was being held underwater. Through his blurry vision, he could see them all moving their hands around erratically.

Someone touched his shoulder, causing him to flinch away violently. His eyes snapped towards Johnny who was moving his mouth, speaking words he couldn't understand. Everything was overwhelming him.

He had to get away.

Run!

Go!

Ponyboy spun around on his heels, ignoring his name being shouted. Before he knew it, he was out the door.

The last thing he heard was Dally screaming, "What the absolute fuck is wrong with you two!"

Ponyboy felt hot, fat tears run down his face as he ran down the driveway as fast as he could as if he were running away from demons. In a way, he was. He didn't have a destination in mind. He just wanted to get far away to sort out everything. At one point though, he somehow found himself at the lot where Johnny usually went to. His breathing was ragged; out of breath. Sweat was mixed in with his tears.

After seeing that nobody was there, he plopped down on an old, ripped-out car seat. He dug his face in his hands as he sobbed.

He knew it. Soda and Darry didn't accept him, and he wasn't even gay! It wasn't fair. But, then again, when was anything fair for him? He lost his family just because he played along with Archer's little game. He wished that he just let the gang tease him. He could handle that. He couldn't, however, handle being rejected like that.

What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't go back, could he? His brothers would just kick him out. They didn't want him living there anymore most likely.

He should just fess up now. Screw the deal. He would rather have his brothers and the gang instead of that damned Soc. Sure, he would live with a lifetime full of the gang making fun of him, but that was way better than having everything torn away from him. He had a life to keep and Archer didn't have to be a part of it.

The seat cushion sunk down next to him. Ponyboy didn't need to look up to know who it was. The familiar scent of autumn filled his nostrils.

"What do you want?" Ponyboy growled, voice muffled by his palms.

Archer was silent for a while before he blatantly said, "It's really a greaser thing to have families turn their backs on each other with you all being hoods and all, huh? Probably from being druggies or something. It must be really hard to earn money for them and so they don't want you being gay to prevent you from earning cash."

"I'm not gay. I told you that already."

"You sure acted like you were. You took what they said to heart and just ran out of the house in tears. What are you, like five?"

Ponyboy growled again. Archer's voice was like nails on a chalkboard. He didn't want to listen to it. He absolutely hated him—more so now. Ponyboy didn't really go about hating people too often, but Archer just shot up to the top of his list. He would rather be anywhere, even in a pool of molten lava, if that meant not being near him. "Shut your trap! I can't deal with this right now! Just leave me alone and go away!" Ponyboy shot Archer a harsh yet teary glare, and that was when the Soc saw how broken he actually was.

Instantly, the cocky expression that was plastered on his face faltered. A crease in his forehead formed as he frowned. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes, _I'm fine_. I'm _fine_ after practically being disowned by my brothers."

"Is that sarcasm?"

Ponyboy rolled his eyes, looking away and crossing his arms. "What do you think?"

"So, you're really hurt, aren't you?"

"It's not like you care."

Archer grabbed Ponyboy's chin to turn his face back to him. "I do care. I need your help, after all."

Again, the young greaser glared at him, slapping his hand away. "Wow. Just, wow. How insensitive and selfish could you be?"

"Look, kid, I'm trying to make you feel better."

"Well, you're doing a fantastic job at that!"

Archer ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. This was getting them nowhere. He didn't chase after him all this way to lose his key player. He guessed he had to be extra nice to him. "Look, I'm sorry that your brothers reacted that way. But, it's not my—" He stopped himself. That wouldn't be something that Ponyboy would want to hear him say. Archer quickly corrected himself. "It's my fault."

Pony scoffed. "I'll say."

"But I'm sure that they feel terrible about it. I bet it was just shock that made them act that way. They probably woke up and realized what they did right after you left."

"I wish." It most likely wasn't true. His brothers looked so pissed. There was too much disgust in their eyes for it to be just from shock. "They're probably are going to kick me out."

"Doubt it. They can't kick you out. You didn't see your parent's reaction."

The boy winced. "I can't see their reactions."

"Well, you have to."

"You don't get it. I can't. I literally can't."

Archer was getting frustrated. "Well, why not?"

"They're dead, Archer. They died in an auto-wreck. It's just my brothers and I. They're all I have left."

Again, Archer fell silent. His mouth opened but closed again like a fish. "Oh." That was all he managed to get out. He didn't know that his parents died. Sure, at one point, there were some people talking about it at school, but he thought that they were just rumors.

"I told you, didn't I? I have less than you, but I have so much more to lose." Again silence. Archer didn't know what to say. Eventually, Ponyboy spoke again after realizing that he wasn't going to say anything. "You know what, Archer? I don't want to do this anymore. I quit."

Ponyboy started to push himself up to his feet, but Archer pulled him back down. The Soc's eyes were wide and all that went through his head was, _'I need him. I need him. I need him.'_

"No, you can't quit!" Archer objected.

"I can and I will. I can't take this anymore. Now, let go of me."

"No." Archer shook his head rapidly like how a child would. "I need you."

"Well, my life would be better without you in it."

That was harsh. Archer pursed his lips. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have told them. I wasn't thinking." And he was sincere that time. After he learned that Ponyboy was really losing everything after he lost so much already, it really hit him hard. He just wasn't the best at expressing himself.

" _Sure you are_."

"I mean it! I'm really sorry. I know you don't believe me—hell, I wouldn't believe me wither—but I really am."

"Well you being sorry isn't going to fix anything nor is it going to change my mind."

Ponyboy turned his head again, but it didn't stay that way for long. Archer grabbed his head with both of his hands, turning him back towards him. He held Ponyboy's head there, inches away from his own. Their eyes were locked onto each other and that was when Ponyboy saw the concern that was buried deep inside them. Archer was trying to comfort him (although a lousy job) but it meant a lot. Ponyboy leaned more into the grip, tears exposing themselves again. His heart hurt. It hurt so goddamn much. He just wanted someone to be there for him and Archer was doing that.

"I care, Ponyboy. I know you're in a lot of pain and is scared, but everything's going to be okay," Archer soothed, rubbing the tears away with his thumbs. "Your friends are talking to your brothers right now. They'll come around, don't worry. Your family and friends love you. It just might take a while for your brothers to be accepting of you. You just have to prove to them that you're still the little brother that they know. So, please, don't drop everything now."

The two stared into each other's eyes for a while, unwavering. Eventually, Ponyboy pulled away, scratching his cheek awkwardly. Archer was right. He shouldn't have lost all hope so quickly. He wasn't alone. The gang, who were practically his extended family, were there for him. Archer… he wasn't sure about him yet… but he seemed like he was going to help as well.

"How are you feeling right now?" Archer asked.

"I'm fine, I think," Ponyboy replied, wetting his chapped lips with his tongue. "I'll be alright. Thanks for this…"

"Yeah…" Archer stood up. "Should we go back now?"

Ponyboy didn't really want to, but he had to face his brothers again at some time. He nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

When Ponyboy returned home. The gang was still all in the house. The only people that weren't there with the rest of the gang was Darry and Soda. They turned to look at him as he entered and all Ponyboy wanted to do was run right back out. Archer pushed him forward before he could though.

"Are you okay?" Johnny asked worriedly, standing up from the couch.

Ponyboy nodded his head. "I'll be alright. Are Darry and Soda here?"

As if answering his call, his two brothers appeared. Darry instantly glared at him, causing him to shrink back. He guessed that the gang wasn't able to make them view him better.

"Look, I talked about this with the gang. I'm not going to kick you out," Darry said. "I'm keeping you close so that I could change your choice. But, don't think that I'm not still pissed off."

"It's still not natural," Soda added. "I just want my old brother back."

Ponyboy wanted to object, but he clenched his teeth instead. Having them there was better than not having them at all, at least that's what it felt like. He'll accept it for now.

The two brothers left again, not wanting to look at him. Ponyboy sighed, relaxing some. It was going to be okay, he hoped.

"They'll come around, Pony, don't worry," Johnny reassured with a small, reassuring smile.

"I really hope so. I don't think I can go on without them."


	5. It Hurts Sometimes

The bright sunlight beamed through the small cracks of the blinds inside of the cold, dusty bedroom that hadn't been touched for many months. Ponyboy rubbed at his puffy eyes, light bags hanging from under them. He didn't get a blink of sleep that night. How could he? His life basically crashed before him. Although his brothers were still alive, he lost them.

Soda had kicked him out of their shared bedroom that night, which Ponyboy was expecting to happen. It still hurt though because Soda knew how violent his nightmares got and he knew how much he leaned on him. It's been only one night, but Pony missed sleeping beside him immensely. He missed the comfort he received, how Soda draping a protective arm over him, and the late-night talks that they've had. He missed having the reassurance that someone would be there next to him if he was frightened. Now, he didn't have any of that. Instead, he now had to wake up on a cold mattress.

The smell of frying eggs wafted inside the old bedroom and Ponyboy hesitated in leaving. His brothers probably didn't want to see him. They probably didn't change their minds overnight either. He contemplated not leaving his room until they've both left for work. But that didn't change the fact that he had to go back to school… unfortunately.

Maybe he should just skip.

The idea seemed nice. He wouldn't have to awkwardly cross his brothers or deal with Archer and the other students. But he had to. Right now, the last thing he wanted to do was to make his brothers hate him even more than they already did. Darry would have been pissed if he skipped.

With that, Ponyboy opened the door and exited his room. He slowly made his way to the living room, peeking his head into the kitchen where Soda and Darry were. As soon as he appeared, Darry turned around, placing two plates down on the table—one for himself and one for Soda. He sat down without putting down another plate. There wasn't even more food on the frying pan.

Darry shot him a dirty look, knowing exactly what Ponyboy was thinking about. "If you think that I'm going to cook you anything, then you're wrong. I don't want to do charity for people like you," he said moodily, stabbing his fork in his egg with so much force that it shook the table.

Ponyboy flinched. Not from how hard the fork had impacted with the plate but from what he said to him. More specifically, it was just from that one venomous word: _charity_. He was just charity to them now. They didn't even consider him to be their brother. He looked over to Soda, hoping that he would correct Darry, but he was ignoring the conversation altogether.

"Fine," Ponyboy said with a strained voice. His eyes watered and he quickly looked away. It seemed like all he did these days was cry or lie. His heart clenched as if someone was squeezing it in their hands. It hurt so much, but he couldn't show them that. They would probably only feel self-fulfillment if they knew how much they were hurting him.

No, he shouldn't think that. They still cared about him, he reminded himself. They were still just in shock.

He wiped the tears away, sniffling as he walked back to his room to get ready for school. He didn't bother to eat breakfast. The last thing he was, was hungry.

As soon as he was ready, Ponyboy exited the house where Two-Bit and Johnny were waiting. They smiled when they saw him, and the youngest greaser grinned back, but from relief instead of happiness. Two-Bit swung an arm around his shoulders, guiding him to his surprisingly still functional vehicle.

"Ready to go?" he beamed before he took notice of the deadness in the boy's eyes. Johnny noticed as well. He furrowed his brows in concern. Pony, on the other hand, didn't notice the worried looks on their faces. He seemed like he was on autopilot; just going through the motions. It was pretty normal to see Ponyboy being lost in the clouds, but this time, it was different. He looked exhausted and almost even depressed. They've only seen him like this when his parents were killed.

"Are you okay?" Johnny asked, snapping Ponyboy out of his daze. He gave them a quivering smile but nodded.

"I'm fine," he replied, voice cracking.

"Is it Darry and Soda?"

Ponyboy nodded again. He couldn't keep much from him. Johnny could almost read him like an open book. "It's okay though. I'll make it through. Everything will get better eventually."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm fine."

Johnny looked skeptical but didn't want to push him too much. If Ponyboy wanted to talk about it, he would. He was sure of that. "If you say so."

"Can we just go to school now?" Ponyboy asked. That was the first time that he said something like that.

"Yeah, let's go," Two-Bit chirped.

Before they could even hop in, Archer swerved up to the house in his car and honked his horn. The loud shrill caused both Johnny and him to jump out of their skins. Even Two-Bit seemed surprised. As soon as Ponyboy saw the Soc, he rolled his eyes. Of course, he was here. He was still bitter about how Archer blatantly blurted out that they were "dating". But, then again, he did make it up to him in the end when he showed a side to him that Pony didn't know even existed in the male. Maybe he wasn't a total jerk after all.

"Come on, we're going to be late," Archer yelled, followed by him honking more.

Scratch all of that. He was still a jerk.

"I fail to see what you like in him," Two-Bit commented, raising his eyebrow.

"I fail to see it too," Ponyboy muttered quietly so that nobody could hear what he said. "Because I don't like him."

"Did you say something?"

Ponyboy quickly looked at Two-Bit with slight panic. He shook his head, masking the expression as fast as he could. "Nothing. I'm going with him. See you at school."

Before anybody could say anything else, Ponyboy hopped into Archer's car, not even bothering with strapping himself in. The Soc instantly drove back onto the road, speeding away and leaving his two friends in the dust.

While driving, Archer took quick glances at him, examining his more or less disheveled appearance. Letting out a short chuckle, he teased, "Wow, what happened to you? You look horrible, not that you don't usually look bad. Just, more than usual."

It was like Archer knew exactly what buttons to press to annoy him. Glaring, Ponyboy answered, "I couldn't sleep last night."

"Busy, were we?"

He would have been blushing if he wasn't so irritated. He had hoped that Archer could have at least been more sympathetic to him because of what just happened to him last night… but he guessed not. Archer only comforted him so that he could continue to use him, Ponyboy had to remind himself. He subconsciously started to scratch at the leather seat.

"You know why."

And he knew that the Soc understood what he meant because of the uncomfortable expression on his face. Archer didn't talk to him after that. The two of them fell into an awkward silence until they made it to school.

Ponyboy hopped out of the car, swinging his backpack across his back. Archer jumped out as well, copying his movements. "From now on, I'm going to pick you up as well as take you back to your house," he informed, shutting the door.

"Yeah, I figured as much…" Ponyboy murmured.

After making sure the car was locked, the Soc jogged to his side, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers. His hand was soft with some callused spots on his palm. His hand was a bit larger than his, he noted before he ripped his out of the hold. He held it with his own hand as if he was just burned. "Don't do that," he warned.

"Come on," Archer pressed, holding out his hand. "At least we're not kissing. Get used to holding hands. It's not like I haven't held your hand before."

That was true, at much as Ponyboy didn't want to admit it. They've also been in a lot more intimate situations already. Holding hands should have been the easiest thing to do. But Ponyboy just didn't _want_ to do it. He didn't know how Archer could be so fearless about this sort of stuff.

Reluctantly, he put his hand in Archer's, intertwining their fingers together. He looked down at his feet as they walked together towards the school building. Ponyboy could feel people turn to watch them and he tried his best to ignore them, but it was still so hard to do with how many students were looking. They pointed at them like they were spectacles, whispering amongst themselves. Some words stood out—faggots, disgusting, sin. They were repeated over and over again like a mantra, and all Ponyboy wanted to do was return to the car and hide. His hands started to sweat within Archer's. The other boy didn't notice, or, at least, acted like he didn't notice, which Pony was grateful about.

They passed by Olivia, in all her clown-like glory. She was leaning against the lockers with some of her friends. When she saw them, she squinted her eyes accusingly, glowering at their intertwined hands. She looked murderous and downright insane. Her friends turned to look as well, mirroring her expression.

Man, girls were frightening. He would never admit that to the gang, but they were.

"Fucking bitch," he heard Archer mumble beneath his breath. He turned to Ponyboy with a smirk and that was when he knew that the Soc was going to do something that he wouldn't like. Pony shook his head to show objection to what he was going to do. Whatever he had in mind couldn't be good. Archer, of course, didn't listen to his disagreement. He took his hand out of Ponyboy's and, instead, wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Pony instinctively tensed, feeling his face burn from embarrassment as it was pressed against him. The smell of autumn suffocated him. The arms squeezed tightly around his waist in a secure way. Ponyboy pressed his hands against Archer's chest, but the embrace only tightened. "Hug me back."

Numbly, Ponyboy did what he was told to do. His hands lowered, gripping onto the back of Archer's shirt. He didn't notice that the chatter around them had stopped until he calmed down some.

"Let go of me," Ponyboy managed to get out. Before Archer could do anything, someone approached them.

"Man, this is who you're with now?" came a male voice. Archer loosened his hold some and Ponyboy took that time to break free from the embrace. He quickly composed himself. Although, his face was probably still redder than a tomato. He turned his attention to the stranger.

The stranger was a lean Soc. Probably one of Archer's friends. Possibly on the basketball team too.

"Yeah, we're going out," the Soc replied with a smirk. "Isn't he the best?"

Ponyboy shot Archer a look. The other Soc looked a bit uncomfortable as well. Instead of answering, he turned to the young greaser and asked, "Hey, you're related to Darry Curtis, aren't you?"

"I am," Ponyboy answered. It wasn't unusual that someone would recognize him because he was Darry's or Soda's kid brother. He shifted his weight onto his other foot, rubbing at his arm. Were they even brothers? Biologically, yes. Other than that, he didn't know. They didn't see him as their brother. "I'm not so sure anymore."

That last sentence came out quietly, but, with how silent the hallways were, it sounded much louder than how it actually was.

The Soc shook his head after staring at him for a long second. "Archer, there's a party that's happening this weekend. You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Archer replied. "A Halloween party?"

"Yeah. Costume and all, if possible. I don't know what I'm going to go as."

"Better start coming up with something fast then."

The Soc looked Ponyboy up and down. "Is the greaser coming?" He said that like he was annoyed with him; like he was speaking while rolling his eyes.

"No," Ponyboy instantly spoke up, knowing that Archer would have agreed if he hadn't. His partner in crime opened his mouth to object but Ponyboy repeated sternly, "No."

He wasn't about to go to some Soc party.

The bell rung, and Ponyboy couldn't help but sigh out in relief. Finally. "I'm going to head to class now. See you later?"

Archer nodded, "See you soon."

* * *

Ponyboy both loved and hated PE. He loved playing sports and exercising, but he just hated being the last person picked, going to the locker rooms, and just giving the Socs more opportunities to bully him.

He diligently opened his locker as other teenage boys pushed passed him. Ponyboy was about to change into his gym clothes when he was disrupted.

"Hey, who let _him_ change in here? I feel like he wants to get it on with us," one of his classmates complained. Ponyboy let out a deep breath, closing his eyes in irritation. He was done dealing with this.

"I don't feel comfortable changing here. Someone should tell the coach," another said.

"You know, I'm not attracted to any of you," Ponyboy retorted, whirling around with a glare.

"Don't lie. You're probably dying to do something to us."

"No. Not really. Besides, who would be attracted to any of you?"

That wasn't the right thing to say, that was for sure. Ponyboy didn't even know why he said it at all. But he had to open his mouth.

Everything happened so fast after that.

He watched as rage filled the faces of the Socs surrounding him, turning red. Their eyes sharpened like daggers, hands balling into fists. Warning signs blared and flashed in Pony's head.

"What was that you faggot?" one of the socs screamed. Before Ponyboy had time to react, a punch came straight at his face. He felt his head not only be crushed by the fist but the lockers as well. His body slammed against the lockers before it dropped to the floor. He saw stars as the Socs towered over him. Something wet and warm trickled down his philtrum. Shakily, he pressed his fingers above his lip and pulled back with them covered in red. Pony's eyes watered but he didn't know if it was from the pain or the fear.

"Ooh. Are you going to cry? You really are a fucking fag. Everyone should have seen it sooner with how wimpy you are. How did you even make it this far in life?" a soc growled.

"He probably sucked so many dicks to get here," another spat.

He did not! He swore he didn't. They just needed to shut up!

"He must be really good at it then. Especially if he has Archer wrapped around his finger."

Shut up!

"Lots of practice. Must enjoy it himself too."

He never practiced at all! He wasn't like that.

"His brothers must be so ashamed of him. I couldn't imagine having a fag for a brother."

At that moment, Ponyboy just snapped. The last comment hit home. He was soon back on his feet before he could stop himself, throwing a punch at one of the Socs. However, before he could make any contact, someone grabbed him and pushed him back to the floor. They started to kick and stomp at him, throwing curses. All Pony could do was curl up in a ball and protect his head with his arms. Each kick felt like he was being shot. They didn't hold back at all.

Bruises were forming on his body already. He wouldn't be surprised if something was broken as well.

"Why don't you fucking do us all a favor and go back to hell where you belong? Just kill yourself. You don't belong here."

No onlookers intervened. They just watched.

Fortunately, the Socs quickly grew bored with him and just left him withering on the floor.

Nobody asked if he was alright.

Ponyboy didn't attend PE that day. Instead, after everyone left the locker room in laughter, he peeled himself off of the floor, shakily getting back on his aching feet. He quickly held onto the lockers, which had a dent in it from his head, to steady himself. Ponyboy's vision swam as he stumbled forward, body screaming in pain.

After what seemed like forever, he made it to the bathroom, grabbing onto the sink so tightly that his knuckles turned white. If he looked terrible this morning, he sure looked it now. Luckily, the only bruise on his face was from the first punch. His lip was cracked though, and blood was still pooling from his nose that almost looked crooked. He didn't even want to look at what the rest of his body looked like. It was probably a completely different color with how many kicks he received.

He grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser, wetted it and tried to clean himself off the best he could. Tears were falling freely from his face. He hated this. He hated every second of it. Everything was just so fucked up. Why did people have to be so cruel?

He didn't know how long he was in the bathroom, but, pretty soon, he heard people approaching the locker room again. The class probably ended. Ponyboy pushed himself away from the mirror and hid inside a stall. The males in the class filed back inside, still laughing. It was probably another fifteen minutes until the bell rung again, signaling the end of the period.

The locker room emptied, and Ponyboy exited the stall. He limped over to his bag and picked it up. The bag hammered into his bruises, causing him to whimper. Slowly, he made his way out of the gym. He was glad that PE was one of his last classes of the day.

As he walked through the hallway, people stared at him, but Ponyboy was in too much pain and shock to care. He just wanted the day to end.

"Shit, kid, what happened?" a familiar voice asked, Ponyboy looked up and saw Steve just staring wide-eyed at him.

"It's nothing," Ponyboy answered, voice breaking. "I just… fell down the stairs."

It was a terrible lie and he knew it.

"Bullshit. What actually happened?" Steve's eyes were calculating as if he was trying to find out what was wrong with Ponyboy without any verbal explanation.

They stared at each other for a long time, not breaking away until Ponyboy stepped backward. He winced when he put pressure onto his ankle.

"Just…" He sighed. "People are really sick."

Realization washed over Steve's face. "You were beat-up for being gay?"

Ponyboy nodded. "Yeah…"

"That's fucked up."

"It was bound to happen eventually." He wished that it never happened. It was probably only the beginning as well.

At that moment, an arm wrapped around Pony's injured waist. "Hey," Archer chirped with a huge smile on his face. That was before he saw how badly he looked. Expertly, he quickly changed his demeanor, although it looked fake to Ponyboy. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

Ponyboy was too tired to do anything, so, he just nodded instead. "I'm fine. Just roughed up a bit," he answered.

"Who did this to you?" Archer grabbed his face roughly, causing Ponyboy to flinch. He squeezed his face, purposefully pressing his fingers into his cuts and bruises. To an outsider, it looked like he was comforting him. But Pony knew better. Archer didn't care. He was most likely enjoying torturing and hurting him.

"Just some Socs in my class."

"Being a greaser is rough…"

"It was because—" Before Ponyboy could finish that sentence, the intercom came on.

" _Ponyboy Curtis, please come to the principal office."_

When could he just take a break?


	6. The Wrath of the Principal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based off of some articles that I found online.

Towering over Ponyboy was the door to the principal's office. Never before have they seemed so tall to him. He tentatively rattled his fist against the wooden plank before pushing it open. When he opened the door, the principal looked up from his paperwork.

"Mr. Curtis, I'm glad that you finally made it. Please sit there," he instructed, gesturing towards the seat that was in front of his desk. Ponyboy nervously followed what he was instructed to do, sitting down with his body hunched together in a protective way. His fingers twitched on his leg out of reflex, eyes observing the room to help distract himself from his raging anxiety. He had only been inside the office a few times before this, so everything still seemed new to him; almost overwhelming. "Do you know why I called you in here today?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "No, is there a problem?" he asked, racking his brain for any sort of explanation that would tell him why he was called in. However, he came out blank. It wasn't like he did anything wrong or anything.

The principal cleared his throat, shooting him a pointed look. "There have been rumors going around about you being homosexual. Is this true? Are you gay?"

Oh, no. Of course, it was about that. He should have expected as much. Things have been going south for him a lot faster now that he was in a fake relationship with Archer. "Yes? But what does that have anything to do with me being called in here? Is there something wrong with that?"

The principal paused and Ponyboy could have sworn he saw something dark flash through the man's onyx eyes. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wishing that he was anywhere but there. Even an active volcano would have been better because he had a feeling that was warning him that something bad was going to happen. "Well, Mr. Curtis, it is against our school policy to be homosexual. You can't date someone with the same gender as you. Not only that but having a gay student around is ruining our school's reputation. There have already been many complaints from parents about you already."

"Complaints about what?" Pony had a feeling that whatever was going to come out of the principal's mouth was going to be a lie.

"Parents have been complaining that you've been making advances on their sons."

Ponyboy's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You're kidding me…" he gasped out. "I haven't been making advances on anybody."

"Then why am I getting all of these complaints?" The principal raised one of his eyebrows stubbornly as if he wanted to believe that Ponyboy had been doing what parents had claimed about him. It wasn't fair at all. The principal wouldn't let Pony explain himself, not that it would have mattered anyway. He was probably homophobic like the rest of the United States.

"I don't know!" He threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. "They're probably homophobic or something! Come on, you should know that I wouldn't do that. I'm a good student."

The principal grimaced at him. "Even though your grades are exemplary and your reports have no marks from detention, it doesn't matter. Regardless of you being a good student or not, I cannot have you ruining our school's reputation because of your wrong decision. That being said, if you don't stop this behavior, then there will be consequences. So, stop being gay."

Not this again. Wasn't his homelife enough? "Someone can't just stop being gay."

"That's not true. It's a choice."

"It's not a choice."

"Yes, it is. Change now or pay the consequences."

Ponyboy froze. There was that word again. "What consequences?" He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear.

"If you continue to be gay, I'll have no choice but to expel you."

Ponyboy's eyes grew wide. What? Could he do that? No, right? He went to public school, not some preppy private one. He couldn't just be expelled for a fake sexual orientation. "You can't do that."

"Yes, I can, and I will if I have to. That's just how it's going to be. So, decide, Mr. Curtis. What do you want? How do you want to move forward from now on? I only want what would be best for you and the school."

Best for him his ass. But he did have a point. He had to decide what he valued more. He couldn't ruin his life because of his fake relationship.

"Can I come back and tell you?" Ponyboy asked, voice shaky and light.

The principal let a smile curve his lips. "Sure. I expect that you would do the right thing."

With that, Ponyboy was walking out of the principal's office, hands gripping his backpack's straps tightly. People in the office turned to look at him as he walked by them. It was silent as if they were eavesdropping on their entire conversation. Pony paid them no mind. He hardly even processed their existence. There were other things that he was focusing on instead.

Man, how was Archer going to react?

* * *

If there was one thing that Ponyboy knew for sure, it was that he couldn't be expelled from his school. The very thought of it made his stomach turn. Everything just couldn't end for him there. Not after how much work and time he put into it. How could he be expelled after everything—skipping a grade and almost getting through high school? He just couldn't do it. Not for Archer; not for anybody.

He had lost count of how many times that he had said this, but he just couldn't do the fake relationship anymore. He valued school more. _Family_ was more important… and yet, he gave Archer another chance. But now he couldn't do that. He had to draw a line. Ponyboy was sick of everything. It just wasn't worth it to him—having to risk everything for someone he hated.

Ponyboy was so lost in thought that he didn't notice that Archer was outside the office until a hand clamped on his shoulder. Instinctively, he jumped, letting out a gasp of surprise.

"Man, you really had your head in the clouds there. I've been calling your name, but you weren't responding to me," Archer mused. Ponyboy didn't answer him so he continued, "Hey, why'd you get called to the office anyway?"

Again, Ponyboy ignored him, glaring deeply into the Soc. If he kept being seen with Archer, then would the office be told that they were together, and he would be expelled? He couldn't risk anything. One wrong move and everything would end for him, just like that. The best option was to end all contact with Archer. "Stop talking to me."

He pushed past Archer, hitting his shoulder into the Soc's arm. Of course, Ponyboy didn't think that he would make it far, knowing Archer and his impulsiveness.

A hand grabbed his shoulder again, spinning him back around. The look that Archer gave Ponyboy honestly frightened him. His eyes were narrowed, dull, but, at the same time, had so much annoyance in them that it just seemed like he was going to attack him at any moment. His hands tightened on his shoulder, squeezing so hard that it felt like his shoulder bone was going to break. Archer pushed Ponyboy backward and through the boy's bathroom's door, which was conveniently there. It probably looked weird to other people, now that Pony thought about it.

"What's wrong with you now?" Archer demanded with a forceful tone, but Ponyboy kept his lips shut, still glaring with his arms crossed. "Tell me. You're being really ridiculous right now."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. Ridiculous? Him? No way. "I'm not going to be your fake boyfriend anymore," he declared.

Archer scoffed. "This again? Seriously?"

Ponyboy just wanted to be left alone for the rest of the day. He tried to walk past the Soc again, but he was shoved backward. Archer stood in front of the door like a giant wall. His stance was spread out and wide like a goalie. "Let me leave, Archer."

The other male shook his head stubbornly. "Not until you tell me what's wrong. What happened in the principal's office? What did he tell you?"

Suddenly, inside the bathroom, a toilet flushed, causing both of them to instantly quiet down. Ponyboy didn't realize that somebody else was in there. But, then again, it was the school's restroom. There was a high chance that somebody would have been there as well. Good thing, Ponyboy never spilled the beans and told Archer what the principal warned him about. If he did, gossip would surely flood the school, and he sure couldn't have more people talking about them. A stall door slowly opened, and a guy walked out, awkwardly meeting their eyes. For a long moment, there was a standstill of them just staring at each other. Eventually, though, the random student moved over to the sink, uncomfortably washing his hands all while the pair watched him, not saying a word. The person wiped his hands off before he took large strides towards the door. Archer temporarily stepped aside to let him leave. The student stared at them until he closed the door behind him.

After he closed it, Ponyboy tried, once again, to walk out the door, but Archer reacted quickly. He grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed his back against the wall. The aggressive move didn't hurt at all, fortunately. Archer made sure to be gentler which Pony was glad about. He didn't flinch when Archer pinned his palm against the wall near his head. "Seriously, what is with you?"

Well, he might as well tell him. There was no point in keeping it a secret. In fact, secrecy would do more harm than good in this situation. "The principal said that if we don't 'break up' he would expel me," Ponyboy finally admitted. Archer instantly faltered after he uttered the sentence. His whole tuff demeanor fell. If he was in a better situation, Pony would have grinned victoriously at his win in breaking the Soc's belligerent demeanor.

"What?" Archer asked, and, for that moment, Ponyboy saw concern in his eyes. But he wouldn't let that expression fool him. Archer didn't care about him. He was only a toy to him.

"You heard me. He threatened to expel me because of how many parents were complaining about me. He also said I was ruining the school's image. I can't be expelled because of this."

Archer's snarky grin twitched back up, although weaker than it usually is. "Well, why do you care about that? You're a greaser. It's not like you're going to get very far."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "I may be a greaser, but that doesn't mean I don't care about my grades and my future. I want to go to college. Not all greasers are the same, you know. Not like that could get through your thick skull."

Archer mirrored his annoyed expression. "Right, sorry." _Sure_ , he was. He didn't sound sincere at all. "But, please don't stop our deal now."

"And why should I keep going? There are things to me that are more important than it. Heck, I would be happier without some asshole like you in my life."

The hold on his shirt tightened. Ponyboy hoped that it wouldn't rip. Archer pressed his harder against the wall, giving him an intense look. "Look, I might have been a jerk to you this entire time, and I'm sorry about that, but _please_ do this for me."

"No! I don't want to get expelled!"

"I'll talk to the principal and tell him everything if I have to."

"He won't change his decision though. He wouldn't believe you. He would still make us stop."

"He _will_ change his mind. I'll make sure he does."

"Why are you acting so desperate for this?"

"I'm not desperate."

"Yes, you are. I'm going to say this again, I'm not continuing this. You keep getting me in trouble."

"Well—"

"You're ruining my life, Archer!"

Archer paused. He furrowed his brows, knowing that Ponyboy probably wasn't going to budge if he continued like that. It was too early for him to just quit like that. "Tell you what," Archer began. "Come to the party with me. If you want to quit afterward, then so be it. We can make some big breakup afterward if you want."

"A party isn't going to make me change my mind, and I'm not going to a party."

"Why don't you want to go to a party?"

Ponyboy chewed at his bottom lip. "Darry would kill me."

The Soc let out an annoyed huff. "Darry? Your brother? He's not going to care. You remember how he acted towards you when he found out you were gay?"

Pony's chest tightened. Why did Archer have to remind him? He clenched his fists. "I'm not gay…" he mumbled under his breath.

"So, come to the party and live a little. I swear you won't regret it and you would have fun. Just be my fake boyfriend for one more day."

He thought about it. He really did. Ponyboy knew he had to end the deal with Archer and if this was what it was going to take for him to willingly stop, then he should do it. It wasn't like he would want to continue being his fake boyfriend after the party… right? No way! Not a chance!

With that in mind, he replied, "Okay."


	7. Bobbing for Poison Apples

A loud knocking at the front door jolted Ponyboy from what he was doing. His head snapped up from the homework that he was working on in his bedroom. Even though he was pretty far from the front of the house, the knocking was so loud as if the wall right next to his head was being hit. Pony looked at the clock and sighed, feeling his anxiety tickle his spine. Today was the day that he had to go to the Halloween party and Archer was at his house to pick him up.

He really didn't want to go. He actually dreaded it. Ponyboy had never been to a party before so anyone could understand why he was so nervous. Parties weren't his scene, that was a fact. Sure, it would make him seem more social and fun, and, man, would it make him appear tuffer to the gang, but he would stick out like a sore thumb there. The worst part of it: he was going to a Soc's party. Not a greaser's or a mixed party. Just Socs. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up as the only greaser there.

"What are you doing here?" he heard Dally hiss. Even though the gang knew that they were supposedly dating, Archer was still a Soc to them. They were probably overprotective of Pony too, at least that's what the young greaser was starting to think. This was really starting to become apparent after his brothers rejected him.

With a sigh, Ponyboy slammed his textbook shut, pushing himself away from his desk. When he walked to the living room, he saw Archer facing the gang with his hands crossed over his chest. He was wearing a snazzy Dracula costume, complete with slicked-back hair, pointy canines, and a cape.

"What's with the vampire costume? It's not even Halloween yet," Dally pressed.

"I'm here to pick up Ponyboy," Archer replied nonchalantly, ignoring the question about his costume. Archer knew that Dally was just teasing him.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Pony informed, slipping on his battered shoes as he walked towards his fake boyfriend.

"Where're you headed off to?" Two-Bit asked.

At Pony's drawn-out sigh, the gang members that were present quirked up an eyebrow. This was probably going to go two ways. They were either going to be proud that he was stepping out of his comfort zone or act very negatively. He had no doubt that it was going to be the latter, especially after the gang learns what kind of party it was going to be.

Understanding that Ponyboy didn't want to answer the question, Archer did it instead. "I'm taking him to a party," he answered, wrapping an arm around his 'boyfriend's' shoulders. Ponyboy just wanted to push him off and go back to his room. Homework was better than this.

"A _party_? You're going to a _party_ , Pony?" Two-bit pressed for clarification. His mouth was slightly ajar, eyes a bit wider than normal. He didn't expect that. _Nobody_ expected that. At least not yet. The gang all looked hesitant. Even though they were glad that Pony was doing other things than being cooped up in the house and was actually trying to live his life, for him to go to a party… especially with a Soc… that was a sign of trouble. Not only that, but it wasn't like him at all. Ponyboy was a good kid. Hell, that was even an understatement. A party for him, especially at his age, just didn't feel right to them.

"He promised that he would let me take him to the Halloween party."

"Isn't that the Soc one? Pony, are you sure you want to go to that?" Two-Bit looked at him with concern. He probably thought that Archer was forcing him to go. In a way, he was.

"Yeah, do you even want to go to the party?" Johnny asked, giving Pony a confused look. Ponyboy smiled thinly at them. His lips were pressed tightly together, almost as if they had been glued together. His eyes were wild, almost painfully so. He let out a strangled noise of agreement, nodding his head. It didn't take a genius to know that he was lying. Ponyboy didn't want to go to the party, that much was obvious.

"I just want to try out something new," he lied with a fake chuckle.

"He's not forcing you to go, is he?"

 _Yes!_ "No!" Ponyboy rapidly shook his head. "He asked me if I wanted to go. I told him that I wanted to go to one. I'm just nervous, is all."

"Your brothers aren't going to like this," Two-Bit commented.

Archer stepped forward, letting go of Pony's shoulders. He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Well, no offense on them, but why would they care what Ponyboy does? It's not like they showed that they cared about him anyways. They rejected him. They're horrible people," he retorted.

And just like that, the apprehensive aura shifted. Eyes changed from wide to narrow in a split second. The gang members that were there glowered at Archer. Dally shot up from his seat and Ponyboy gulped. He knew that wild look in his eyes. Dally started to march towards the Soc and Pony quickly stepped in his path. However, he knew that it wasn't going to stop him. Nobody could really stop him. He always got what he wanted. It didn't matter that Ponyboy was his friend, Dally would sock him if he wanted to.

But, miraculously, it never happened. Dally paused in front of him and the two stared at each other in the eyes for a long time. Pony didn't know if Dally pitied him or not, because he did something that he wouldn't normally do: he backed off. Not before he gave him a look that told him that he had to say something though.

"Archer," Ponyboy started with a tight voice, "don't say that about my brothers ever again, okay?"

Archer scoffed. "What's the big deal? Don't you all hate them?"

"Of course we don't! They're still our buddies!" Two-Bit objected, clearly angry at the Soc. They all were. It didn't matter if Soda and Darry despised him, Ponyboy still loved him deep down. They were still the people that he knew and that the gang knew. It was just that a few things were different. And it didn't matter that they hurt him so much.

Actually… it did matter. Those were only words that Ponyboy told himself to make him feel better.

Every day, Ponyboy hoped that his two brothers would love him again, and every day he was disappointed. It honestly hurt him to live with them. Even if they did start loving him again, he didn't know if he could ever see them the same way. No matter what happens, nothing would ever be the same between them.

Noticing the disgruntled expression on his friend's face, Johnny asked, "You okay, Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Do you want me to come with you to the party?"

"Yeah, Pony, we can go with you," Two-Bit added.

"No! No! It's alright!" Ponyboy declined, shaking his head again. He didn't want them to be breathing down his neck there. It was too risky. But he guessed that him pretending to be boyfriends with Archer didn't matter anyway. It wasn't going to last after tonight. "I'll be alright on my own."

"I'll be with him the entire night," Archer said, grabbing his hand. Ponyboy almost jolted away by the sudden touch. "We should start going now."

When Archer started to drag him out the door, he heard Two-Bit call out, "Make sure protection is used!"

Pony's face turned red in complete mortification. He trained his eyes to the ground, unable to look up when he heard chuckles. Even Archer was laughing at him. How embarrassing. He was glad to drive away from the house. That was until he calmed down, remembering what was in store. There was no turning back now.

* * *

The party could be heard a mile away. Music blasted from inside the large house that had a layer of litter on the lawn. A lot of people were already there since they came quite a few hours late because Archer didn't want to arrive at the party on time. Many of the people were already drunk; having the times of their lives in their costumes. Not one of them wasn't wearing one, from what Pony could see. It made him feel even more insecure. He didn't belong there and that was clear to everybody.

"So, where's your costume?" Archer asked.

"I don't have one. Not everybody could afford a snazzy costume like yours," Ponyboy answered.

"You couldn't put together something?"

"What do you want me to put together? A ghost costume out of a bedsheet?"

"Well, you have to go in with something."

"Sorry, but this is the best you're going to get from me." Ponyboy almost grinned in victory when he realized that Archer wasn't going to get what he wanted for once.

"Well, it's a good thing that I prepared for this." Oh, of course, he did. Pony groaned as Archer reached in the backseat. He wondered what the Soc was going to make him wear. It could be literally anything. However, he wasn't expecting him to pull out a cowboy hat. "You're going to be a cowboy. This would fit well with you."

Ponyboy raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a cowboy to you?"

"With your rags of attire, yes, you do." The younger glowered at him as the hat was dropped on his head. Archer scrutinized his appearance before pulling a red bandana out of the glove compartment. Why that was there, Ponyboy had no idea. "Put that on as a mask. It'll help conceal who you are."

Ponyboy nodded as he wrapped the bandana around the lower part of his face. Archer looked at him again before grinning in satisfaction. "Perfect. Now, come on. Let's go," Archer said.

"I don't want to go," Ponyboy whined, playing with the brim of the hat. His stomach had butterflies in it. "I can't go."

"Yes, you can. Let's go."

"No. Just take me back home."

"No can do. We're here already."

"I cannot go in there." Ponyboy wanted to be swallowed up by his hat. That would have been better than this party.

"Yes, you can!"

"Can't we have our own private two-person party?"

Archer rolled his eye, opening up the door and pointing outside. "We're getting out of the car _now_."

"No…"

"Come on! Stop being such a wimp! Do you want me to drag you out of this car?"

Ponyboy didn't answer so Archer marched out of the car. He grabbed the younger's wrists from the other door, pulling as hard as he could. Ponyboy dug his heel down in the car, but Archer still ended up practically flinging him out. The grip didn't get lighter as he started to drag him towards where the house was. They had parked a bit away because all of the nearby parking spots were already taken. It would have been a nice, peaceful walk if it wasn't for the blaring music that was making his eardrums ring.

When he did enter the house where the party was taking place, he was relieved that people didn't turn to stare at him. The disguise must have worked. It was that or everybody was too drunk to care. People seemed to walk around him, to his relief, as he walked throughout the house. At one point, Archer let go of his hand, but Pony made sure to stay close to him. Archer was the only person that he knew there, and, even though he hated his guts, the Soc was like a security blanket to him there.

"Archer, come play some beer pong with us!" someone screamed above the music. Ponyboy stood to the side to watch the game. He had nothing better to do. Sure, he could go and talk to somebody, but he also didn't want to get himself into any trouble. So, he just watched. That was until he started to get bored of watching the Socs become tipsy. He eventually found himself just walking around the party and seeing what was there; maybe get himself a drink while he was at it.

The house wasn't really decorated for the holiday, Ponyboy noted. There were a few cotton cobwebs, a few smashed pumpkins, and apple bobbing areas. But, other than that, there wasn't anything else. It was quite disappointing, really.

In the end, Ponyboy never made it to the kitchen to grab himself something to drink and not look totally awkward while he was there.

A hand grabbed his shoulder causing him to move his shoulder up out of reflex. He turned around, expecting it to be Archer. However, when he did, it wasn't him at all.

"Look what we have here. Who invited you?" a male voice whispered in his ear. Even though the voice was so quiet, it pierced through the loud music like a knife. The hot breath brushed grossly against him, causing him to shiver. The person that was in front of him was a Soc that stood in front of him way too close for comfort. He wore a creepy mask that hid his identity. Its dark smile would haunt him for a long time. "Not even that mask and big hat of yours could hide who you are, you greaser." His words were slurred. Mixed with the strong beer odor, it was clear that he was drunk. Probably dangerously so.

"Get lost," Ponyboy hissed, glaring. His body was frozen in place, knees slightly shaking. He was trapped. There were Socs on all sides of him, blocking him from escaping. If he brought attention to himself, then he would be absolutely fucked. They would probably all join in to beat him up. "Leave me alone."

"Why would I do that when you're looking so lonely. I bet you have a reason that you're here. Let me guess, your little boyfriend isn't enough for you?"

Warning signals were flashing in Pony's head. He started to back up, shaking his head. His throat felt dry. He needed to go… _now_. "Archer's here. I should really get back to him. He's probably really concerned that I'm not there with him."

As he was backing away, he collided into someone who shoved him forward out of annoyance. "Hey, watch it, kid," they snapped.

Ponyboy stumbled forward. In his moment of surprise, the Soc that was advancing on him snatched him in his hold, pulling him towards the side of the party and away from all the craziness. There were still people around that were just having conversations with each other, but they didn't even spare a glance at them.

"Let go of me!" Ponyboy ordered, struggling. But the Soc was so much bigger than him. He let out a strangled scream, but a hand clamped around his mouth, muffling him.

"Shut up," the Soc growled. Pony could see the Soc's lustful glare through the mask.

Ponyboy wasn't stupid. He knew what the Soc wanted to do to him. Well at that moment wanted to do to him. He was heavily intoxicated, so Pony wasn't sure if he was fully aware of how he was acting. However, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was in danger.

The young greaser thrashed as much as he could against the Soc, going ballistic when he the Soc pressed his face to his neck.

' _No! Stop it!'_ Ponyboy silently begged. He was screaming for someone to save him in his head. There were tears that layered on top of his eyes. Archer. Where was Archer? Someone had to save him. But nobody was coming to his rescue. Archer was probably passed out drunk somewhere.

The Soc kissed up his neck and Ponyboy instantly wanted to throw up. Even though he hadn't done anything too drastic to him yet, he still felt so violated; so gross. Pony closed his eyes when he felt a hand run down his torso. When he felt the Soc slip his hand under his shirt, his eyes snapped back open. He couldn't let this happen! He had to stop it!

Ponyboy bit down as hard as he could into the Soc's hand, teeth breaking the skin. Blood dribbled into his mouth; the taste of iron almost overwhelming. The Soc yelped out in pain, reeling back enough for Ponyboy to slip free. But he didn't get far.

The Soc quickly recovered, grabbing ahold of Pony by his hair. His hat flew off sometime in the process he guessed. He yelled out, feeling the bandana fall down around his neck. "You did it now!" the Soc spat. He threw Ponyboy against the floor in front of one of the barrels full of water and apples, standing over him. "Why don't you bob for apples, greaser."

His grip on Ponyboy's hair was tight, pulling it to the point where it felt like there was going to be a large, bald spot later. Before Ponyboy could have a chance of taking a deep breath, his head was dunked under the water. The apples were pushed to the side of the barrel as thrashed around. He tried to push himself up, but he had no footing to do so and the pressure on the back of his head felt like a thousand pounds, so only thing that he could do was grip the edge of the barrel as water splashed around everywhere, soaking all of his clothes. His struggling did more harm than good, however. It made him use his little oxygen lungs burned and his vision started to become blurry.

Was this it? Was this the end? How long could an average human hold their breath? A minute? Two Minutes? How long has he been like this? He had lost count of how many seconds he had been underwater. It seemed like he was under for an eternity. It felt like the Soc had no intention of letting him breathe.

He was drowning him.

So, this was it, he guessed. He was going to die here from frowning. All because of Archer. Of course, it was because of him. Archer started to ruin his life the moment that he met him. Why did he trust him enough to continue? Now, look where his forgiveness brought him.

He was going to die.

How would the gang react when they find out that he was dead? Sad? Would his brothers be sad as well? He wasn't so sure anymore. He was going to die as a liar. They would never know the truth that he wasn't actually gay, and his relationship was fake.

He didn't want to die in a lie.

His vision started to become dark around the corners as he stopped struggling, feeling too weak to do so now. Right before he slipped into unconsciousness, Ponyboy heard a distinct but muffled scream of, "Get the fuck away from him!"

All of a sudden, his head was lifted from the water, leaving him gasping and sputtering for air. His head swam as he tried to catch his bearings. The music boomed back to life, beating against his ears, almost muffling his ragged breathing. He was soaked. Not one inch of him was dry. Something was happening around him. He could hear that nobody was talking anymore, choosing to stare instead.

Ponyboy looked up when he felt strong enough to do so again. Through his blurry vision, he could make out Archer socking the other Soc in the jaw. A fight had broken out between the two, but for what? Why was Archer fighting? For him? He wouldn't do that for him. Would he?

Archer toppled the other Soc over, sending punch after punch. It didn't take long until the drunk Soc was knocked out. It didn't take much at all. He was already so intoxicated that he probably was going to pass out soon anyway. But, fortunately, he was too drunk to really fight back and do any real damage against Archer.

"Don't you ever do that again or I won't let off next time," Archer warned even though the other male probably didn't hear him. He turned around, wrapping his hands around Ponyboy's forearms. He lifted the younger boy to his feet, making sure to hold on tightly when he realized how weak his knees were at the moment.

"Archer…" Ponyboy muttered under his breath, feeling his tears come back. He hated how fragile he felt.

"It's okay. I got you. Let's get out of here."

Ponyboy nodded, letting Archer drag him out of the house. He could feel eyes stare holes in his back. He could only assume that everybody was glaring at him.

It was cold outside, the wind blowing strongly. It wasn't like that before. The wind must have picked up while they were in there. He shivered. The wetness making him even colder. At that moment, Ponyboy realized that he wasn't wearing a jacket. He wished that he had thought about bringing one. Not that it would have mattered anyway. It probably would have gotten soaked too.

Man, why did they have to park so far away?

"Are you alright? Are you okay?" Archer asked worriedly while on their walk to the car. He had stopped holding onto him when he realized that Ponyboy was able to walk correctly again.

"Cold…" was all Ponyboy could manage out, shivering like he was left in the middle of Antarctica. He hugged himself tightly, teeth chattering. How did he even get so soaked in the first place? His head was only dunked in the water. But, then again, he did splash the water around a lot.

"Why didn't you bring a jacket?" Ponyboy didn't answer him. He instead kept shivering. Sighing, Archer took his cape off, wrapping it around Pony's shoulders like a blanket. The boy's eyes widened in response, not expecting him to do such a thing. But he was thankful, nonetheless.

Ponyboy wrapped the cape around him tighter, feeling a hundred times warmer already. He closed his eyes and sighed, taking a deep breath in. Even though there was a distinct smell of alcohol on the cape, there was still the familiar autumn scent on it. It was comforting and managed to relax him quite a bit.

He sniffled, dabbing his eyes. "Thank you…" he mumbled.

"Sure thing. What even happened anyway? What did he want from you?"

"I… He…" Ponyboy licked a water droplet off of his top lip. He didn't want to remember what happened. He could still feel the Soc's mouth on his neck and he could still feel the drag of his fingers on his skin.

"It's okay. Take your time."

Ponyboy looked up at Archer, not expecting him to be this patient and kind to him. It was different than what he was used to. "He wanted to…" Ponyboy choked up. It was too embarrassing to talk about. He could feel his cheek redden in shame. "But I didn't want him to."

Luckily, Archer connected his words together. "Oh… He… assaulted you."

The younger nodded, shuddering at the word 'assaulted'. "And when I didn't let him, he tried to drown me, and I don't think he was going to let me go. If you weren't there, I don't think…." He swallowed. "I don't think I would be walking away."

He was sobbing again, but no tears fell this time. His hands shook but he didn't know if it was from the fear or from the cold. He shouldn't have come to the party. He shouldn't have—

Arms wrapped around him and he was pressed against a firm chest. Ponyboy instantly stiffened up but quickly melted in the hold. Even though the last thing he wanted was to be touched, he needed to be comforted. Ponyboy subconsciously dug his head in Archer's shoulder.

"I shouldn't have left you alone," Archer soothed. "I'm sorry that this happened to you. It's all my fault. But he won't be bothering you again. I won't let him. Everything is going to be okay."

"I still feel him on me," Ponyboy cried out.

"You're going to be okay…"

"Why did this have to happen to me?"

"I don't know… It's not fair. Do you want me to do anything for you?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "No… Just be here."

So that's what Archer did. He held onto Ponyboy tightly. Eventually, though, Archer did let go of him and they finally made it to the car. They were silent for a while, driving on the bumpy, paved road. None of them knew what to say. There wasn't anything left to say really. Archer's company was enough.

In the dim lighting, Ponyboy saw Archer constantly looking at him with worry and it was reassuring. It was something new.

He had always believed that Archer was an asshole, and he still is, but that word wasn't the only word that defined him. There were others as well. Archer was caring even though he didn't show that trait too often. There was an underlying layer of traits that Ponyboy was completely oblivious too before. He remembered how Archer had comforted him when his brothers rejected him and tried to fix things when he was threatened with expulsion. It made him think that maybe his terrible attitude was a façade. Maybe Archer was hiding his true self.

He didn't know what it was, but something told him that Archer was a book that was waiting to be opened and read.

He should be hating Archer right now, but he couldn't find himself to do so. He was just grateful that he was there with him.

After many minutes of driving, exhaustion finally hit Ponyboy. He could feel his head start to droop, eyes slowly closing. At one point, his side hit something warm. He felt it stiffen, but Ponyboy was too tired to care enough to find out what he was leaning against. The warmth comforted him. It coaxed him to fall completely asleep, dragging him deep into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this was paced a bit too fast, but I sort of wanted it to be? I mean there isn't much to say because most people who have been in that situation just want someone to be there for them. I also wanted things in the party to go by faster because that's how fast it felt to Pony in his view.
> 
> Also, the party experience has a more modern take to it I believe. I just based it off of the parties that I've been to. It's probably a lot different back then, but whatever.


	8. New Light

The first thing that Ponyboy noticed when he woke up the next morning, with his eyes still closed, was the comfortable, warm mattress that felt like he was lying on fluffy clouds. He had never woken up on something so comfortable in his life before. Sure, his mattress was comfortable enough, but the one that he was on made his feel like a pile of rocks in comparison. The next thing he noticed was the pungent scent of fall that he was so familiar with. Everything about the bed lulled him back to sleep. But that was until he fully processed everything and realized that the setting wasn't _normal_.

His eyes snapped open, body flinging forward to a sitting position. They scanned the room quickly, not recognizing it. Where was he?

He was in a bedroom, that was for sure. The bed that he was in was larger than his. Not by much, but Pony sure noticed the difference. The blanket wasn't made with wool like his. Instead, it was as soft as a baby blanket. The room was bright and roomy; not cluttered at all. There was still a mess of dirty laundry that had been thrown around the room though. The biggest clue on where he was happened to be on the wall that was full of basketball participation trophies. That narrowed his choices down, not that Ponyboy needed it. There was only one person that this room could belong to.

"Archer…" Pony mumbled under his breath. The next question was _why_ he was there?

The memories of the party came rushing back—how he was almost sexually assaulted and almost drowned. He gripped the blanket in his fists tightly, shaking a bit. At least Archer didn't do anything while he was passed out. At least, that's what he thought. His clothes were still on, so he doubted that anything else happened last night.

"I didn't do anything to you, you know," Archer's voice reassured. The Soc stood at the door that Ponyboy didn't notice had opened. His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned against the frame. "I went to bed on the couch."

"What am I doing here?" Ponyboy asked suspiciously. He had no reason to be suspicious. Archer did sacrifice his bed for him. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"Don't you remember? You fell asleep in the car. Right on my shoulder." Archer patted his right shoulder to show him where Ponyboy rested his head, causing the younger's ears to turn red from embarrassment.

He quickly recollected himself. "And you didn't think about bringing me home?"

"I didn't think you wanted to deal with your brothers that night. You had a rough night. I'm _sorry_ for trying to be nice to you." The last sentence was spat out sarcastically.

Crap. He didn't mean to sound so harsh. Archer was only trying to be nice for a change. Ponyboy's eyes softened which helped ease the tense atmosphere. "Sorry. Just… I'm just overwhelmed. Thank you for letting me crash here and all."

Archer nodded briefly. "Yeah, yeah. Now, come on. There's breakfast on the table."

Ponyboy's stomach tightened up. He rubbed it, feeling a bit sick. He just wasn't in the mood to eat anything. Especially not after last night. "I'm good. I'm not very hungry right now," he declined.

"Come on, man. My mom cooked for you. She really wants to formally meet you."

"But my brothers are probably—" Ponyboy's eyes widened. Oh, man, his brothers were going to skin him alive. He didn't return back home and Two-Bit probably told them where he went. "I gotta go. My brothers are going to kill me."

He shot himself out of the bed, stumbling out of the blankets that tangled around his legs. Ponyboy started to head to the door, but Archer spread his arms out, blocking him from leaving.

"Hold on," Archer said, blocking the door. "At least eat something before you go."

"I _really_ gotta go. My brothers—"

"Your brothers are still going to yell at you no matter what. Might as well get a free meal out of it."

Ponyboy's heart clenched. Archer was right. His brothers were going to holler their heads off at him. Probably about how Archer was "controlling him and influencing him to be gay and to getting into trouble". It wasn't like they actually cared about him.

What if they _weren't_ going to yell at him? What if they didn't want to see him and were happy he wasn't home?

"You know what? Sure," Ponyboy finally agreed. Even though he wasn't up to eat anything, he didn't really want to go home.

Archer grinned in satisfaction, gesturing out the room. Ponyboy followed closely behind.

A woman was flipping pancakes in the kitchen—probably Archer's mom. When she turned around, she flashed a bright smile. And, man, was Archer right when he said she was becoming a hippie. Her whole appearance was very _long_ , for a lack of a better word. Her hair was longer and wilder than how most Soc mothers styled theirs, and her dress that went down to her ankles had so many colors in it that it made his eyes hurt a bit.

"You must be Ponyboy," she greeted, never dropping her smile. It was a bit uncanny. Usually, Socs acted like he, being a greaser, was scum.

"Yes, ma'am," Ponyboy replied, smiling nervously back at her.

"Please, just call me Jeanie." She pointed towards the pancakes. "Go on and eat all you like, okay?"

Ponyboy grabbed a plate, sitting down at the table. Everybody else did as well. At first, he thought they were going to eat in awkward silence. Fortunately, though, Jeanie started to talk again.

"It's great to finally meet you, Ponyboy. My son told me about you, but he didn't give me much information. It just left me really curious," Archer's mom chirped.

"He talked to you about me?" Ponyboy asked, raising his eyebrow at his fake boyfriend. Archer only shrugged, taking a sip of his milk.

"Yes! I never thought that he would have a boyfriend. He's only ever brought girls here. It sure surprised me."

"And…" Ponyboy paused, completely swallowing the food in his mouth. He licked his lip tentatively, tasting the sweet flavor of maple syrup on them. "And you're okay with it?" That was sure different. His brothers were really against him being "gay" and she was so accepting of it. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't his brothers be like her?

"Of course, I am! Love is universal. It has no genders. Everyone deserves it."

"Everyone should…" Ponyboy stopped eating, deciding to poke his food with his fork.

"Is something wrong?" Jeanie cocked her head to the side, furrowing her thin eyebrows. Deep wrinkles formed across her forehead like waves.

Ponyboy shook his head. "No, I'm just already full. This was really filling," he lied, forcing a smile on his face.

"Oh… okay. If you say so…"

Archer, noticing the sudden tension, quickly stepped in the conversation. "His brothers want him back home soon, so I should take him back," he explained, getting up to put his plate in the sink. Ponyboy followed after him, copying his movements.

Before they could exit the kitchen, Jeanie called out, "Ponyboy, do me a favor. Make sure to take care of my son, Mor—"

"Ah!" Archer suddenly screamed, cutting his mother off. She moved her head back, startled at the sudden noise.

"What's wrong, Mor—"

"No!" Archer looked back and forth between Pony and his mother with panic. Ponyboy just raised his eyebrow at him. Why was Archer cutting his mom off like that? Was he hiding something from him? "We… uh… we really have to go, Mom. Like, right now."

"Oh, okay, but—" Before she could finish her sentence, Archer had already pulled Ponyboy out of the kitchen. He quickly grabbed the keys to his car and pushed him out of the house.

Of course, them leaving the house didn't stop Ponyboy from pressing into the questioning behavior. "What was your mom trying to say in the end? You kept cutting her off," he asked.

Archer only stared ahead of him, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles almost turned white. He didn't tear his eyes off of the road and stayed silent for many minutes. For a while. Ponyboy didn't think he would answer him. That was until he said, "It's nothing, just let it go."

When he had stopped talking, Ponyboy had already let the matters go, if he was being completely honest, but Archer refreshing the topic just made him even more curious. "I'm not going to let it go now. What was she going to say?"

"She wasn't going to say anything."

"Really? Because it kind of sounded like she was going to say a name."

For the first time since they got in the car, Archer looked over at him. He gave Ponyboy a pitiful look, cheeks dusted in pink. Pony had never seen him embarrassed about something before. He never blushed about anything. That's when the realization hit Ponyboy. "Your name isn't Archer, isn't it? Archer's only a nickname."

It wasn't a crazy assumption. It was quite normal, actually. A lot of people just went by a nickname to the point where everybody just assumed that that was their real name. Two-bit, for example, was only a nickname. Heck, Pony even met a guy who went by M&M.

"Yeah," Archer reluctantly admitted, looking ashamed. He shouldn't be though. It was just a nickname that wasn't even insulting. Unless… he was embarrassed about his actual name. "Archer's just a nickname. I got it since I was so accurate with shooting and stuff. I haven't done any archery. Just made baskets. It's a billion times better than my birth name, so, it just stuck."

"What's your actual name?"

He shook his head. "I'm not saying it."

"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad."

"It's _bad_."

"But—"

"Oh, just can it, grease!" Archer hissed, causing Ponyboy to flinch. He wasn't expecting him to snap at him like that. The Soc quickly realized his mistake and calmed down, taking a long, deep breath. "It's just that if I tell you, you would laugh at it."

"I promise you that I won't."

"I can't know for sure though."

"Archer, my name is _Ponyboy_ ," he reminded. "I get made fun of for my name on a daily basis. I won't laugh."

Again, there was another long pause. Ponyboy was almost home when Archer spoke up again. "Mortimer."

Ponyboy looked over from the window. "Huh? Did you say something?"

Archer blushed, not wanting to repeat himself. "Mortimer. My name's Mortimer."

"Mor…timer…?" Ponyboy tested it out on his tongue. He wasn't laughing at it, although he was amused by the name. Archer didn't seem like a Mortimer. Although he wouldn't admit out loud, it was a terrible name. Archer was right about it being bad. Ponyboy wasn't trying to be mean about it. He was more sympathetic than mocking. The nickname was a lot better in his opinion and just suited him more.

"Don't laugh! You promised!" Archer hissed.

"I'm not laughing! But, yeah, I'm going to continue calling you Archer. I like it better than Mortimer."

"Yeah, I would prefer it too."

* * *

It didn't take much longer for them to arrive at his house. Ponyboy nervously observed the house that was absolutely silent and ominous. "Well, thanks for everything," he murmured, opening the door.

"Ponyboy, hold on," Archer hurriedly said. "Are we still up for the fake relationship?"

The young greaser paused. Did he want to continue? No, right? Archer made his life a living hell. He got him in so many situations that made Ponyboy want to scream. He was an asshole. But he also wasn't, which made him think about what he truly wanted even more. It shouldn't be something he had a hard time deciding on, and, yet, it was. Archer wasn't who he thought he was. Not completely anyway and that intrigued him. A part of Ponyboy wanted to just go past the Socs walls and find out who he actually was. Archer was a good guy. He saved him and they even had a few decent conversations. Maybe he should see where everything goes…

"Yeah, I'll still do it. But only as a way to repay you for saving me," Ponyboy replied, seeing Archer's eyes glint. "You have to get the principal off of my tail though."

"Done and done."

Ponyboy looked back at the door, sighing. It was time to face his brothers. He almost wanted to hop right back in Archer's car again.

The two waved goodbye and Pony slowly approached his front door. When he entered the house, he was only half prepared for what he was going to say to his brothers. They were both sitting down in the living room, the rest of the gang nowhere in sight. The atmosphere was tense and thin as if one touch could snap it. The incoming fight was going to be ugly. He just knew it was.

As soon as Ponyboy closed the door behind him, Darry shot up to his feet. He stormed over to him, fuming. Soda was right behind him. "Where've you been? I hope you weren't with that fag," Darry snapped.

Ponyboy flinched. "His name is Archer," he defended, "and I was. We were hanging out and I just fell asleep. He was kind enough to let me crash at his place."

"That wasn't all that you did last night. Two-Bit said you were at a party. He was just manipulating you to go, right? That isn't something that you would do. He's also influencing you to think that you're gay, correct? You should just stop. You're ruining your life being gay."

And there it was. What he said was exactly what Ponyboy thought he was going to say that morning, and, somehow, that irritated him. Ponyboy dragged his fingers through his hair that was in need of being combed back with fresh grease. He let out a heavy, annoyed breath, feeling a headache start. He was sick of hearing the same thing over and over again from his brothers. They should just give him a break for once, especially after what happened.

Without fully thinking about what he was going to say, Ponyboy growled out, "It's not like you care about what happens to me."

Darry raised an eyebrow at him. "What was that?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"You heard me. You don't care about me."

"What are you talking about? I care about you! I'm worried about your life and your future."

"No, you actually don't."

"He does, Pony. Just listen to him," Soda stepped in. "We're just worried about your choices."

"Being gay isn't a choice! And, besides, why can't you let me do anything that I want to do? My life isn't yours! Let me be me. Why can't you just let me do that?" Ponyboy clenched his fists tightly, digging crescent moons into his palms.

"I'm just worried about you," Darry said.

Ponyboy scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Worried about me, my ass."

The two brothers gaped at his behavior, but that quickly changed. If possible, Darry was even angrier. Soda too, but it wasn't as physically obvious as it was with Darry.

"Pony!" Soda scolded.

"Language!" Darry screamed. "What has gotten—"

But Ponyboy had enough with them. "No!" he exclaimed, cutting Darry off. "You don't get to say that to me! You don't actually care about me. Do you know how I know? You hate me for me. You probably want me out of the house. You sure act like it when I told you that I was gay. And you know what? I probably would have been out of your hair last night. But, it's not like you two care."

"What do you mean by that?" Soda asked, stepping back a bit.

"Yesterday, I was almost killed by a Soc. Archer saved my life and comforted me afterward. That's why I was over at his house. But why do you care? He's one of the few people that actually care about me."

"Pony…" Darry started but the youngest brother pushed past his two brothers to go to his room. He slammed the door shut, sliding down it into a ball. They didn't chase after him.

Scarily enough, Ponyboy wished that Archer was there. He didn't want to be in the house anymore. He couldn't stand living with his brothers that hated his very being.

He never thought that he would think this, but he didn't want to live in his house anymore.


	9. Robin Hood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not know basketball. There might be some mistakes about it in here.

To say that Ponyboy was tired was an understatement. It wasn't like he was physically exhausted. He had plenty of rest. He was more emotionally tired, something he couldn't cure with just plain sleep. It made his body feel weak and drained of all energy as if a vampire had sucked all of his lifeforces out. He could hardly lift his body up, but that probably because he wasn't really motivated to. After the fight with his brothers, he had curled himself in his bed, too weak to really even do anything else besides sleep and contemplate things.

He stayed in his room ever since the fight. He only left when he had to go to the bathroom. He didn't even eat for the rest of the weekend, which worried the gang quite a bit. The worst part for them was that they didn't know what was going on. They were left completely in the dark. They tried to ask Pony, but not even Johnny, his closest friend, could get him to talk or to even open the door. Darry and Soda acted as if nothing was wrong, but they all _knew_ that something was up between the Curtis brothers.

When Monday came along, Ponyboy used up a lot of his energy to get to his feet, swaying a bit when his vision swayed. He sighed deeply, dragging himself around his room to get ready for school. He didn't want to go, but he had to. He just wanted to stay in bed until he rots away.

Two-Bit and Johnny were in the living room when he got there. When they heard Pony's bedroom door close, they looked up at him, instantly noticing how tired he looked. His skin was paler, eyes sunken and dull. Although he was already skinny before, he was a lot more now, despite only missing a few meals. He was beginning to look sickly.

"Whoa, what happened to you? You look terrible," Two-Bit bluntly stated.

Ponyboy shot him a deadpanned look as he slipped his arms under the straps of his backpack. Two-Bit and Johnny exchanged worried looks with each other, standing up from the couch when Pony headed to the front door. Before he could open the door, he paused, frowning.

"What's with the long face?" Two-Bit questioned. "Are you hungry? You sure look like you are. You should eat something. We have time."

Pony shook his head. "I'm not hungry," he answered, speaking for the first time in a few days.

"You haven't eaten in days! You must be hungry!"

A short burst of annoyance shot through him. He couldn't help it. Everyone just always has to bombard him. "I said, _I'm not hungry_." Pony gritted his teeth, not tearing his eyes away from the door. He clenched his fists, digging crescents into his palms.

Two-Bit backed up a bit, raising his hands up in mock defense. "Okay. Okay. What's got your panties in a twist?"

Almost instantly, his annoyance sizzled down. He shouldn't be lashing at them for being worried about his wellbeing. Man, did he feel bad... "Sorry."

"What's wrong, Ponyboy?" Johnny worriedly asked, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder in a comforting manner.

Pony sighed, running his hands through his hair that he greased earlier that morning. He woke up hours before he was supposed to, which could have also contributed to how dead he felt that morning.

"I just don't wanna go to school," Ponyboy moaned, realizing that he was going to face the consequences as a result of what happened at the party.

"Why not? You never had a problem with it before." To their knowledge, Ponyboy had been a real trooper in school. They were well aware of the slander and insults about him that were thrown around behind his back. How could they not notice? They've been trying to stop them and shield their friend from them to the best of their abilities. They just don't know how much it's actually been working. They thought their attempts were because Ponyboy never seemed too troubled by it if he had heard them. But maybe they were mistaken, and he was just lying. Pony's had always been good at lying.

There was a long pause, long enough for them to start believing that Ponyboy didn't hear the question. His eyes subconsciously shifted deeper down the house where his brothers were still sleeping. Both of them had the day off so they were sleeping in. Johnny noticed and looked to where Ponyboy was gazing, coming to a realization.

"What's wrong?" Johnny asked.

Ponyboy gave Johnny a confused look. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong," he lied.

"What happened with you and your brothers?"

Panic etched onto his face for a moment. "Nothing! Nothing's wrong!"

"Pony…"

The two of them looked at each other for a long time before Pony looked away, chewing on his cracked bottom lip.

Ponyboy sighed, giving in. "Okay… I'll tell you… Just… not in here, okay?"

The two greasers nodded, leaving the house. In the beat-up car, it was quiet for a while. Nobody spoke. Two-Bit and Johnny waited patiently for Pony to speak.

Ponyboy's throat was tight, feeling the edges of his eyes strain like he was about to cry. But he refused to. He wasn't some pansy. "I don't know if I can continue doing this," he finally confessed, voice shaking. "Living with them, I mean. They hurt me."

Suddenly, Two-Bit slammed his foot on the brake, causing their bodies to painfully lurch forward. Ponyboy was glad that he chose to wear his seatbelt that morning. Cars swerved around them, honking loudly at them. Two-Bit didn't mind though. He spun around in his seat, looking at Pony intensely.

"Are they hitting you?" Two-Bit asked with disbelief and shock.

"Attacks aren't the only way to hurt someone."

"What did they say to you?" Johnny asked, understanding what he meant. He was looking at him intensely as well.

"They were just mad that I didn't come home last night. And, no, Two-Bit, I didn't do anything."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Two-Bit stated, looking sincere. It wasn't every day that he wouldn't crack a joke about something. "Is that exactly why they were hollering at you?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "They were hollering at me being gay. I'm just sick of them, you know? I don't know how much longer I could take."

His two friends looked at him sympathetically. "You're always welcome at my house," Two-Bit offered, not really knowing what else to say that wouldn't get Pony snapping at him. Ponyboy was really sensitive like that. The youngest teen smiled lightly and nervously, a look that meant he wasn't actually going to stay with him. Two-Bit started to drive again. "Why didn't you come home anyway?"

The two older greasers watched as Ponyboy tensed up. He looked away from them, scratching at his arms and picking at the small hairs on it. This was the part that he didn't want to share. Ponyboy was quite ashamed of it and he knew that everyone was going to go wild because of it.

"I…" Man, he wanted a cigarette right now. "At the party… I…" He shut his mouth. He just couldn't get the words out, feeling like he was about to vomit even though he hadn't had food in a while. He shivered, picking at his arm again. He shook his head and Two-Bit and Johnny knew that he wasn't going to talk about it anymore.

They let out a sigh. Johnny smiled gently. "It's okay. You can talk about it when you're ready."

Ponyboy was thankful that Johnny was his best friend and so understanding. He couldn't ask for a better friend. He curved the edges of his mouth upward slightly. "Thank you…" There was a long pause. His small smile dropped as he turned to look at them seriously. "Promise me that you're not going to believe whatever rumors you hear about me at school, okay?"

The question was so sudden that it surprised both of them. Two-Bit raised an eyebrow at him through the rearview mirror. "What do you mean? What rumors?" he asked.

"Just promise, okay? Tell me that you won't believe them. It's not true. Not all of it, at least." He could only imagine what people were going to say about him in school for a few weeks.

"I promise," Johnny agreed. Two-Bit nodded his agreement as well.

Ponyboy didn't talk for the rest of the car ride.

* * *

When they arrived at school, it felt like the whole world was watching them—particularly Ponyboy. He shifted on his feet uncomfortably, feeling his stomach turn in nervousness. It was just like when everyone just stared at him and Archer after the fight at the Halloween party. Some of them were glaring at him with disgust clearly written on their faces while other people had unreadable expressions. They just stared which was somehow a lot worse than the people that were glaring at him. Ponyboy scratched at his arm as he pushed through the busy hallways of the school.

"Hey, isn't that Archer?" Two-Bit suddenly asked and Ponyboy looked over where he was pointing. True enough, Archer was standing at the end of the hallway. He was talking to his ex-girlfriend, Olivia. His hands were flying around as he spoke and so did Olivia's. It looked like they were having an argument. Ponyboy could bet money that they were arguing about his and Archer's fake relationship.

Apparently, during the time that he was watching Archer, he stopped walking. "Aren't you going to do something about it?" Two-Bit questioned, snapping him out of his daze.

He should do something about it. It would make the whole act more convincing and Archer looked really troubled. It wouldn't be weird, right? Archer wouldn't care if he showed some fake affection. He would probably smirk at him and tease him about it later. Ponyboy wasn't used to being the person that randomly does something for their act. Archer was the one who always started it. Pony always played along.

"I'm going to go over. Don't wait on me," Ponyboy said. He approached the two arguing Socs, leaving Two-Bit and Johnny behind with a short wave. The closer he got the louder the argument was.

"You're not gay! You're just lying!" Olivia screamed, which pierced through the voices of all of the students surrounding her. "You still love me!"

Archer was right when he said that she was crazy. She looked like she was about to murder everyone with how intense her glare was.

"I don't love you, you crazy bitch! We've already been over this!" Archer shot back. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Stop lying! I know you don't like that damn greaser."

"I do like him. He's not insane like you. Now, get away from me."

Olivia stepped forward. "What are you going to do about it? Push me?"

"I might."

Ponyboy took that time to step in, grabbing Archer's hand within his and intertwining their fingers together. At the sudden contact, Archer jolted. He almost ripped his hand away. But, when he saw who was holding his hand, he calmed down, letting an amused smile slip onto his face.

"Hey, I need your help with something," Ponyboy interjected, pretending like he hadn't seen Olivia who was red in the face upon seeing him.

"What do you need help on?" Archer asked.

Pony opened his mouth to answer the question, but Olivia cut in. "Get lost, grease! We were in the middle of a conversation!" she screeched, making his ears ring.

He shifted his eyes over to her in the most unamused, annoyed, and sassy way he possibly could. He moved closer to Archer and watched as Olivia clenched her hands into fists. "Oh? Why are you talking to her? I thought you were over her."

"I am," Archer stated. "She just won't leave me alone."

"Well then, if you were over her, you wouldn't be looking at her. You would only be looking at me." Ponyboy reached up and held Archer's face, feeling the soft but bumpy skin. He forced him to turn his head towards him and to look at him. He knew that his ears were bright red from how embarrassed he felt. Golly, if anyone from the gang was there, he would die from embarrassment with how he was acting. He hoped that Two-Bit and Johnny weren't watching them. Man, Archer better not annoy him for at least a week after this.

Archer stared deeply into his eyes. The chocolate orbs did not tear away for even one moment. It made Ponyboy uncomfortable and he was happy when Olivia spoke again, even if her voice sounded like nails against a chalkboard to him.

"Possessive much?" Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Obsessive much?" he shot back, patting himself back on the back for the nice comeback in his head.

She only glowered at him, stepping forward again. Her hands were on her hips. "Listen here, you grease! You're going to get away from Archie or—"

Ponyboy shook his head. "No. How about you get away from Archer? He's not into you anymore. He doesn't dig girls like you."

"Girls like _me_? What does that mean?"

"Oh, I think you know." Olivia scowled even more at that. "You know… some advice… you don't really look great with that expression. It makes you look like a sad clown."

Olivia dramatically gasped, opening her mouth in shock. Before she could have time to retaliate or claw his eyes out with her nails, Ponyboy started to drag Archer away. Olivia screamed after them and tried to follow but Archer pulled him behind the staircase to hide. As soon as they heard her pass by, he started cackling. He bent over and laughed so hard that his face started to change to another color. Ponyboy couldn't help it either. He laughed almost just as hard as Archer.

When Archer recollected himself, he patted Ponyboy on the shoulder. "Nice going," he complimented. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"Well, don't get used to it," Ponyboy said.

"You should have seen her face."

Ponyboy blinked. "I did. I was the one that was talking to her about her appearance."

It was silent for a long time as they just stared at each other. Eventually, Archer chuckled awkwardly. "Anyway, I never thought you would do something like that."

"Well, I thought it was only right. You are telling the principal about the situation we are in." Had he dealt with the situation? "You are telling him, _right_?"

Archer leaned back against the wall. "Yeah, I talked to him."

Ponyboy leaned forward with interest. "And?"

"And he gave you a pass. You're fine," Archer informed nonchalantly.

Ponyboy let out the breath that he had been holding in. He leaned back, sticking his thumbs in his jeans. "Thank goodness. How much longer do you think we're going to keep this act up?"

"Until I feel like stopping."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. There was the classic Archer. "But what if _I_ feel like stopping? Don't I get a say in anything?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." From the nonchalant tone, he knew that Archer didn't mean it. Of course, he didn't. Ponyboy almost groaned in annoyance. "Anyway, I have a basketball game tonight. You're going to come and cheer me on. And you can't say anything about it. If I go to your track meets, then you should come to my basketball games."

The greaser nodded. He was actually really interested in seeing Archer play. He heard that he was really good at playing the game. Even his nickname proved that. "Don't count on me cheering for you. I'm not some cheerleader."

"Yeah, you also said that you're not a cowboy."

"And that's right."

Archer whistled, raising an eyebrow at him. "What's with this sass? Where did all this confidence come from?"

"From having to deal with you," Ponyboy joked, chuckling under his breath.

"So, are you coming or what?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you there."

He repositioned the backpack on his shoulder and started to walk away. When he was a few meters away, he heard Archer call out, "Don't forget the pom-poms!"

Ponyboy turned his head, scrunching his face together in a teasing way and Archer mirrored it to mock him. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but when he got passed the annoying parts of him, he was actually a really fun person to talk to.

* * *

The game was crowded like no other. He hadn't expected that at all. It wasn't like it was a football game. But, then again, it was a home game.

There weren't too many greasers there. But not many greasers did participate in all that school spirit stuff or even play sports. The entire track team was large and, even then, Pony was one of the only greasers on it.

Ponyboy sat down in the bleachers, feeling out-of-place in the middle of all of the Socs and middle classed people. He fiddled with the loose strings of his hoodie, waiting for the game to begin. He's never been to a basketball game before so he didn't know how long he had to wait, but he hoped that it was soon so there would be something to do.

Suddenly, someone slipped next to him and elbowed him in the ribs, scaring him so badly that the hairs on his arms stood up. He snapped his head to the side, eyes wide. His heart jumped out of his chest, thinking that he was about to be attacked by some homophobic person. But, when he saw who it was, he breathed out a sigh of relief. "Curly Shepard! You nearly scared me half to death!" Ponyboy hissed, slapping Curly's arm lightly.

"You jumped so high, Curtis!" Curly snickered, repositioning his jacket.

"Well, let's see how you would react if someone sneaks up behinds you and tries to scare you."

Curly shot him a cocky grin. "Never had it happen to me before. I don't get scared."

"Yeah, _right_. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were in the reformatory."

He nodded. "Yeah, I was. I just got out though. I was going to go home, but then I saw you walk in the gym and through to pay you some respect. What are you doing here anyway? I didn't know you liked basketball."

Ponyboy shrugged right as the entire basketball team had burst out of the locker room. Ponyboy's eyes instantly went to Archer who looked back up at him and smirked. He couldn't help but smile back. He watched as Archer ran to the team's coach to talk to him.

"Do you know him, Curtis?" Curly asked, catching the small exchange.

"Yeah, that's Archer." Should he reveal that they were "dating"? Curly probably wouldn't care. And Ponyboy didn't really care what he thought about him. They weren't that close. He could honestly say that he wouldn't feel terrible if Curly just stormed out of the gymnasium and never talked to him again. It wouldn't make him feel great, but he felt worse pain. If it were any of the gang members, it would feel like someone had scooped out his heart and stomped on it a thousand times over. "We're dating."

Curly froze and snapped his full attention over to Pony. For a moment, Ponyboy thought he was going to say something bad, but then he expressed, "I didn't know you were into guys."

"Well, I am," he lied. "You got a problem with it?"

There was a long pause as Curly just thought about his confession. He dragged his tongue on the inside of his cheek, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Nah. Whatever you're into doesn't really mean nothing to me."

The two basketball teams started to position themselves on the court and Curly took that as a signal to stand up. "Anyway, I'm gonna beat it. I'm going to see what Tim is doing."

Ponyboy nodded. "See you later, Curly Shepard."

With that, he was gone. The referee whistled as soon as the gymnasium door shut behind the hood, starting the game. Ponyboy turned his attention back to the game, forgetting that Curly was even there in the first place.

Throughout the entire game, he never took his eyes off of his fake boyfriend. He watched as sweat started to dribble down his forehead as he ran back and forth across the court. He passed the ball around expertly, dribbling faster than how most people jog. And man, was people right when they said that he was a good shot. He didn't think that he even missed a shot in the entire game. It kind of reminded Pony of somebody. Robin Hood. Archer reminded him of the character, Robin Hood, with how well he shot.

Still, even with Archer making all those shots, the other team was hanging on closely. They were always a point or two behind. Sometimes they would be a point ahead of them.

All of a sudden, someone from the opposing team pushed Archer down before he could take another shot. He crashed to the ground, skidding painfully on the wood floors. A whistle blew as people screamed, "Foul!"

Ponyboy held his breath as Archer slowly stood up. From where he sat in the bleachers, he could clearly see that some of his skin was skinned off, looking like it was about to bleed at any moment. Pony winced for Archer. That had to hurt.

Archer limped over to the free-throw line and someone passed him the basketball. Pony looked at the scoreboard and saw that they were in the last play, only seconds away from the end. Their team was tied with the other team, making Archer the deciding point of the game on who would win in the end. He bounced the ball, twirling it in his hands as he stared at the hoop. A bead of sweat fell onto his lips and Archer licked them to get it off. He crouched down and everyone went silent as they watched the Soc intensely.

He made the shot and Pony's eyes followed the ball as it gracefully flew through the air. It hit the rim, and, for the first time since the game started, he missed. The ball bounced off the rim and back onto the court. Archer scrunched his face up in stress as he was given the ball again. He had one more shot.

He bounced the ball again, glancing over to Ponyboy who caught his eye. The younger boy slowly nodding his head in encouragement, a small, reassuring smile adorning his lips. He mouthed, "Good luck," and that was all the motivation that Archer needed.

Archer looked back at the hoop with determination.

Ponyboy leaned forward. "Come on, Archer," he muttered under his breath, leaning forward. He was about to literally fall out of his seat with how much he was leaning.

Archer shot the ball, and everything went in slow motion. Again, Ponyboy watched as the ball flew towards the hoop. It swished in the net and people cheered as the buzzer went off, signalizing the end of the game.

The team crowded around Archer to cheer for him in excitement. Before he could be engulfed by his teammates, he looked back over to Ponyboy and smiled at him. A true smile. Not one of those cocky ones that he usually wears.

It took a half-hour until most of the people cleared out of the gymnasium. Ponyboy hopped down the bleachers to Archer, who was waiting for him.

"Nice game," Ponyboy complimented with a smile. "You shoot real good, Robin Hood."

Archer raised an eyebrow curiously. He cocked his head to the side. "Robin Hood?"

"You like it? It's what I'm going to call you from now on. It fits you; compliments your original nickname nicely with how well you make shots."

He made a look of displeasure as he tested it out in his head. "I don't really like it," Archer admitted. "It doesn't sound right."

"Well, I like it," Ponyboy declared. "You can't say anything to stop me from using it. So, get used to it, Robin Hood. This name is going to stick for a long time."


	10. Into the Corn Maze

It was sort of disorienting for Ponyboy to look back at the moment when he had first met Archer—how he wanted nothing to do with him—and compared it to how he saw him now. They were like cats and dogs. In a way, they still were. But they were learning to get along. That was the important part. Ponyboy didn't actually mind spending time with Archer. It was nice to have someone new to hang out with and talk to. However, he was always reminded of all the factors on why he shouldn't like him at all. One thing that absolutely bugged Pony: Archer never let him in on many of his plans, and that night was no different.

It was Halloween night. Ponyboy thought that he was just going to sit around in his room instead of going out to go trick or treating. He was getting too old to do that and the gang would tease him if he did go out to get candy. Besides, it wasn't like he had a costume anyway and he didn't want to get into one after the party that he went to. The memory was still fresh in his mind.

Steve was there, arm wrestling with Soda in the kitchen. Darry was there too, but what he was doing, Pony could only guess. Dally was getting himself into mischief most likely and Ponyboy wouldn't be surprised if Johnny was with him to make sure that things don't go too far. Two-Bit said he was going to a party so he probably wouldn't see him for a while. So, it was lonely in the house. But it wasn't like it mattered anyway. Darry and Soda didn't want to see him so his bedroom was the safest place he could be. Johnny, if he was there, would have been the only person in his room most likely.

When he heard the front door open, he was painfully reminded why everything about Archer's and his relationship in the beginning wasn't disorienting to think about at all.

"It's time to go, Ponyboy!" Archer's voice boomed. "We're going to be late if you don't hustle!"

Ponyboy looked up from his book in confusion. They didn't have any plans together, so why was Archer there? He stood up, placing his book down on his nightstand. He walked to the living room where Soda and Darry were fuming at the Soc.

"Get out of this house!" Darry growled, storming over to Archer who wasn't even fazed by the movement. "I don't want you anywhere near here!"

"Relax," Archer soothed. "I'll be out soon. Ponyboy and I had a date planned."

"No, we don't. We've never planned anything," Ponyboy objected, not realizing the mistake that he had made until it was too late.

Everyone's eyes snapped towards him in confusion. Archer, on the other hand, gave Ponyboy a you-messed-up-big-time look. Even though it wasn't obvious, the Soc looked nervous as he waited for his fake boyfriend to fix the mistake.

Pony's mouth parted a bit as his mind instantly went blank. He didn't know what to say. Panic was louder than the words in his head.

"What do you mean by that?" Steve asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I… uh…" Ponyboy stammered. Fortunately, he was able to come up with something. He smiled, although weakly, to make his face look like it brightened up in realization. "Oh, today's _Sunday_! I thought today was _Saturday_!"

"Yeah?" Archer nodded, looking perplexed. "Did you forget to look at a calendar?"

He shrugged, letting out a painfully fake laugh. "I was just busy, is all. I lost track of time."

"Busy with what? _Reading_?"

Ponyboy sheepishly nodded as he went to pull on his shoes. "You know me so well."

"You're not going anywhere with that fag," Soda hissed, standing in Ponyboy's way. "You need to stay away from him."

The youngest brother rolled his eyes, feeling his mood plummet. He clenched his hands into fists. There was no way that his brothers were going to tell him what to do. They didn't actually care about him, so why should he care about what they wanted? He was going to go out with Archer whether they liked it or not. "Try to keep me away," Ponyboy growled as he pushed by Soda to Archer who instantly grabbed his hand. He didn't flinch this time. Instead, the warmth of his fake boyfriend's hand comforted him.

However, as soon as the two started to walk away, Soda grabbed him and roughly yanked him backward, almost successfully ripping him away from Archer. Ponyboy instantly shook off Soda, glaring at him. "Don't touch me and leave me the fuck alone!" he snapped, shocking Steve. Ponyboy was never like that. Especially to Soda. But, then again, Pony had been through a lot ever since he came out to the gang. There was currently a lot of tension in his family. But that didn't give him the right to scream at his best friend.

Archer and Ponyboy left the house and Steve followed right behind them. "Kid, I don't care if you are being treated like shit, but don't you ever talk to Soda like that," Steve growled.

"You don't know anything."

Steve crossed his arms. "Really? Then why don't you go ahead and tell me why you think you have the right to act that way."

Ponyboy froze. A part of him wanted to scream out his woes, but most of him just wanted to leave. He would rather avoid that topic as much as possible. Subconsciously, he squeezed Archer's hand, which, of course, was very noticeable to the Soc. Archer looked over and saw how much discomfort Pony was in. The younger teen's nose twitched, and his jaw was clenched tightly. His eyes were fixated on Steve's forehead, almost, in a way, distantly as if looking into Steve's eyes would bring him to tears.

"You know, you suck at not being biased," Archer commented.

"I'm not biased."

"Yes, you are. You would still pick his side even if you knew that he was wrong, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course, I would." To Steve, that was an obvious question. Why wouldn't he take Soda's side? "That's what buddies do."

"Well, that's what being biased basically is. Learn more about each side of the story before picking who to defend. Now, if you excuse us, Ponyboy and I have somewhere to be."

Before Steve could say anything else, Archer dragged Ponyboy to his car and pushed him in. He started up the car and sped away, leaving Steve on the porch.

"Thanks," Ponyboy suddenly said.

"Don't thank me. I only did it to get out of there faster. They were starting to get on my nerves," Archer replied coolly.

"Right…" He let out a long sigh as he turned his attention outside. As he had thought, a lot of kids were trick or treating that year. It made him curious about what Halloween activity Archer had planned for them. "So, where are you planning on taking me?"

"Hm?" Archer looked over at him quickly in confusion.

"You said that we had somewhere to be."

His face lit up. "Oh, yeah! No, I don't actually have anything planned. I just thought we would ride in the car for a bit. We just need to be out of the house a bit to prove to people that we go on dates."

Somehow, his sentences really hurt Ponyboy. There was a pang in his chest. Sometimes, he forgets that the deal exists. Archer didn't see him as a friend. To him, he was only a piece on a chessboard. Ponyboy wanted to be friends with Archer, and it always seems like they were making progress. But he was always let down. It honestly was terrible.

"I mean, we _can_ do that, but would you be able to do nothing for a few hours?" Ponyboy asked, pushing his hurt away.

Archer thought about it, chewing at his inner cheeks, before shaking his head. He glanced outside at all of the families. "Want to go out and scare some kids?" Archer proposed. "We can put on costumes and hide somewhere."

Ponyboy smirked. "You don't need a costume, Robin Hood. Just go as yourself and you'll definitely scare people."

Archer gaped overdramatically. He chuckled right afterward, shaking his head. "That was a good one. But, seriously, what do you want to do?"

The young greaser could only shrug, look out the window once again. As they were driving, he saw something that caught his eyes.

"They set up a corn maze?" he brought up, pointing to a sign.

"I guess so," Archer hummed. "Want to go?"

"I've never actually been to one before." Ponyboy looked doubtful.

"Well, pick soon because we are going to pass by it soon."

Ponyboy chewed on his bottom lip before smiling nervously. Why not do it? It could be interesting, and he knew that Archer wanted to do something. If he wanted a scare, it might as well be him instead of younger kids. "Let's go."

"Yeah? Do you want to? Let's do it." Archer slowed down his car and turned into the parking lot, finding a spot for his car after many more minutes driving around. It was absolutely packed with people. Ponyboy didn't think that it would that busy, but he guessed that it was a bust spot that night.

As they pushed through the crowd of people, they saw people in gory costumes sneaking up on unexpecting visitors and scaring them. They were both getting nervous the closer and closer they got to the start of the corn maze. When it was finally their turn to enter, Ponyboy started to regret choosing the corn maze.

The corn maze was dark, only being lit up by the light from the moon. It was silent with only the bloodcurdling screams from other parties that came once in a while. The two crept through the maze, constantly tripping on corn. A cool breeze brushed through their hair, sending chills down their spines. Without thinking about it, Ponyboy moved closer to Archer.

A scream right next to their ears caused both of them to jump out of their skins. _"You're next. You're next!"_ a woman in a straight jacket screeched. Her appearance was disheveled; eyes wild and crazed.

"Jesus Christ…" Archer cursed under his breath as he pushed passed her. Ponyboy stayed as close as he could to him without making it weird. The lady cackled as they walked past her, getting deeper in the maze which was now engulfed in a thick layer of fog. It wasn't hard to find themselves lost.

"We must be going the right direction," Archer pointed out. "I'm going to take seeing employees as a good sign."

"That's one way to look at it," Ponyboy murmured, jumping when another person came out of nowhere. He huddled closer to Archer, hugging his arms. At that point, he just wanted to get out of the maze.

"You scared, Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy shot Archer a challenging look. "In your dreams, Robin Hood."

Archer groaned at the name. "Stop calling me that name."

"Again… In your dreams, Robin Hood."

The two walked around some more and were about to enter another path when Ponyboy stopped. "Hey, we've already been that way," he pointed out before they could start walking in a roundabout again.

"No, we haven't," Archer argued.

"Yes, we _have_! I swear! We should go the other direction."

" _You should come this way! This way_!" a person in a creepy clown costume cackled as they stepped out of the corn.

A loud sigh left Archer's mouth. He was getting irritated by the maze as well. It was getting old really quickly. "Not right now, clown," Archer said. "We're trying to figure this out."

The cackling stopped as the clown just stared at the two. " _You don't want to follow? Then you should run."_

"Run?"

All of a sudden, there was a roar right behind them, and it only took Ponyboy a split second to recognize what the sound was: a chainsaw. Corn toppled over as a man rushed out with a chainsaw in his grimy hands. He wore an apron that was covered in fake blood. That wasn't what stood out the most about his appearance. It was his face. His skin was scarred up, leathery and loose as if it had been peeled off and sewed back on. It sent tremors down Ponyboy's spine.

"We should go," Ponyboy proposed to Archer. Archer only cursed in reply. Before Ponyboy could react, he was shoved down by the Soc, causing him to land on his butt in the dirt. "Hey!"

Dust flew into his mouth as he recovered from being pushed. He looked up, seeing Archer running away, leaving him in literal dust.

Did he really just sacrifice him?

Ponyboy didn't have time to dwell on the betrayal he felt. The man in the chainsaw was sprinting towards him at a frightening speed. He pushed himself back to his feet and chased after Archer. Fortunately, he was really fast and was able to outrun and lose the man with the chainsaw. Unfortunately, the combination of fear, fog, and towering cornstalks made him become even more lost than he was before.

He slowed to a stop, breathing hard. His heart was pounding in his chest as he looked around. Where was he?

It was silent for once. There weren't any screams or eerie giggling. There was nothing.

Slowly, he walked through the fog, hugging himself tightly. He knew that he shouldn't be scared; that there was nothing there that would hurt him. But there was so much adrenaline that was pumping in his veins that he couldn't think rationally.

"Archer!" he called out, eyes shifting erratically just in case someone would jump out of nowhere and scare him.

There was a sound behind him, but he couldn't decipher what it was.

"Hello?"

There was no answer. Ponyboy started to walk faster, just wanting to leave the maze. He was so over it.

Another sound, but, this time, a lot closer. He spun around, but the fog made it impossible to see.

What if it was the chainsaw man again? Ponyboy decided that, if it was, he would just run through the cornstalks in a straight line until he made it out of the maze.

There was a crunch and that was all it took for Ponyboy to start running again. He didn't want to wait and find out what was stalking him.

Suddenly someone came out of nowhere and screamed, "Boo!"

Ponyboy screamed in response as he instinctively dropped to the ground and protected his neck as if he was about to be pummeled. For a moment, he felt his heart stop, and it probably would have stayed that way if he didn't hear the boisterous laughter of his fake boyfriend, Archer.

"Archer!" Ponyboy groaned as Archer continued to laugh at him. He stood back up and crossed his arms. "Don't laugh! It's not funny!"

"You're right! It wasn't funny," he wheezed. "It was _hilarious_. Your reaction! You were so scared!"

"Well, how would you react if someone just came out of nowhere and screamed at you?"

"Not like that. If this was a horror movie, you would be dead."

"Of course, I would be dead! You sacrificed me to save yourself! Why did you do that?"

Archer shrugged. "If it had to be me or you, I would pick me."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "I know you would. Can we just get out of here already?"

Archer nodded and they both started to try to navigate through the maze again. Ponyboy continued to hug himself, mentally preparing himself to be scared again. He knew that nothing was going to scare him more than how much Archer did, but he just didn't want to feel the small heart attack that comes from being jump-scared.

"Scared?" Archer asked, noticing how Ponyboy was holding himself. "It's just a maze."

"I'm not scared," Ponyboy stubbornly objected right as someone popped out of the corn and screeched. He jumped and covered his ears with both of his hands as if that would help him.

The Soc sighed at the action and held out his hand. "Come on. Hold my hand."

For a long moment, Pony just stared at it, before he realized that it wouldn't hurt to take it. Even though he didn't want to appear weak, he gratefully grabbed the hand, instantly feeling a lot safer. The duo continued to walk through the maze, constantly getting jump-scared, but Ponyboy wasn't as scared as he was before. There had to be some sort of psychology to explain why he felt better with his hand being held. It was probably a natural response that was developed when he was a baby. That was probably it, but psychology was the last thing on his mind as he ventured through the maze.

Ponyboy stayed close to Archer, keeping his eyes trained on the ground. He rested his forehead on Archer's back as a final comforting method. It really did help a lot.

It didn't take much longer until they saw the lights that were set up outside the maze. As soon as they saw the exit, Archer dropped his hand and walked out. Ponyboy followed right behind him.

"We finally made it," Ponyboy breathed out in relief.

"Yeah," Archer replied. He waited a few seconds to calm down some before speaking again. "Want to go again?"

Ponyboy snapped his head to Archer and raised an eyebrow. Archer was crazy if he wanted to go back to the maze. "No. We are going."

"Come on! It was so much fun seeing you turn into an armadillo."

"Archer, I will hotwire your car and leave you here if you want to go in the maze again."

He laughed. "Alright, alright. Let's go."

"Finally."


	11. The Start of Something New

Ponyboy woke up one night feeling a dip in his stomach. For some reason, he felt like something bad was happening at that very moment. He sat up, looking around the dark, lonely room, trying to make out anything that would give him that feeling. However, nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him. Well… except for how silent it was. But that was normal during the night when everyone was asleep.

He wanted to go back to bed because maybe his stomach was a bit upset and that was what was bothering him. But that didn't change the fact how the back of his brain was nagging him to check the entire house just in case.

Swinging his leg over the side of the bed, he was hit with a blast of cold. Pony shivered, wrapping himself in his arms as he stood up, happy that the flooring was carpet instead of hardwood. Warily, he left his bedroom, being as quiet as he could. Looking back at it, he wished that he had grabbed a sweatshirt before leaving, but he hadn't planned on his search taking more than a minute or two.

The house was just as dark as his bedroom. The only noticeable difference was that it was a little bit louder. Ponyboy could hear light snores coming from one of his brothers and he could hear Two-Bit, who was lounged in the living room armchair, groan. He didn't want to think about what he was dreaming about.

He looked back and forth between the living room and his brother's bedrooms, deciding what he should check out first, but then decided that he didn't want to disturb or deal with his brothers if they woke up. The last thing he needed was another reason to be despised by them. He crept towards the living room, seeing Two-Bit and Johnny, who was sprawled out on the couch, sleeping there. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary like he had thought.

That was when he heard quiet laughter coming from outside.

Ponyboy's head snapped towards the irregular noise. Someone, or at least some people, were outside his house. He moved towards the window, but he couldn't see anything outside beside the silhouette of Darry's truck and the dim glow that came from the dying streetlight. Someone seriously needed to change the bulb because he couldn't see a thing.

There was more laughter, this time louder, followed by incomprehensible words. Curiously, Ponyboy opened the front door to hear them better and maybe see what they were doing before scaring them away somehow. He stepped out into the cold night, feet touching the cold porch. He shivered violently, slightly regretting his decision to go outside.

"Hurry up, man," someone chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. I'm going as fast as I can! I just want to put on the final touch," another person laughed. "Start packing things up! I'll be done in a second."

The screen door shut behind Ponyboy, shuttering loudly in the quiet night. The laughter stopped instantaneously. Whoever was outside his house scrambled to grab everything, failing by the sound of items continuously falling.

"Oh, shit! Someone's coming. Drop everything! Run!" one of them hissed as loud footsteps pounded against the asphalt, signaling that they were gone.

Ponyboy moved to the front of the house where they were before and, when he saw what they were doing, he understood why he woke up with a bad feeling. A car passed by, lighting up his house for a split second. But a split second was all Ponyboy needed to process everything.

Before him, in chalk, was the sentence, _'Faggots go to Hell.'_ Below the sentence was a lewd drawing of two guys having anal sex. They were terrible drawings—only stick figures—but it got the message across. The two stick figures were labeled. The one that was bottoming had his name sprawled out under it and the one that was topping had the words _'your friends'_ under it. He knew from the context that it meant the gang.

The picture was only the first part of the damage done outside. The outside of his house was trashed as well. His trashcan was toppled over with trash spilled everywhere and glass from beer bottles were scattered across his driveway. His house was also covered in burnt-out toilet paper. The people that were outside his house wanted everything to go into flames. Fortunately, the toilet paper must have not taken to being lit on fire well and the plan failed, leaving only scorch marks on the ground.

And, even though there was a lewd drawing of him, he wasn't at all embarrassed about it. Instead, he felt dread. This is the first time that the risk of him being 'gay' became so close to home. It was no longer a problem that was only for him. It was starting to drag everyone down with him. He could just imagine. If the toilet paper actually did catch on fire like it would on a wick of a candle, his house would be gone and everyone inside would probably become seriously hurt. If he hadn't woken up, how far would those vandalizers have gone?

That wasn't even the end of his newfound problems. If the gang saw what had happened outside, they would worry or even blame him. They wouldn't want to be near him or even be associated with him. They would turn their backs on him, and he couldn't let that happen. They were all he had left.

That's when he found himself on his knees with a brush and a bucket of water. He scrubbed at the chalk as hard as he could, feeling pressure around his nose. He wanted to cry, but he wouldn't let himself do so. All he had to do was clean up this evidence and he should be good. This was probably a one-time thing. At least, that what he told himself. It was the only thing that was keeping him calm in that situation.

The water was freezing, feeling even more intense in the late-November temperature. They stung and felt like he was suffering from arthritis. At the same time, everything was numb. He couldn't feel his feet, and he wished that he decided to wear shoes or even socks. He wouldn't doubt that he would get sick from this.

Cleaning was difficult. Ponyboy couldn't see his progress or where to clean next until a car passed by. He scrubbed and scrubbed, trying to clean every spot in the driveway. There had to be nothing left. Not even one bit of evidence of this could be shown. Ponyboy couldn't risk it.

He was out there, scrubbing and picking everything up until the sun started to peek up from the horizon. Since daylight savings time had already passed, he bet that it was about time for everyone to wake up as well. During this time of the year, it was pretty dark in the morning. Ponyboy hurried everything up, not able to feel his hands anymore. He hid the bucket and brush at the side of the house and entered right when Two-Bit and Johnny were waking up.

The door closed behind him and the two greasers looked towards the sudden noise. They drowsily examined him, quickly becoming confused at Pony's disheveled appearance. Two-Bit lazily quirked up an eyebrow.

"What were you doing?" Two-Bit asked. "You look like you went through hell."

And Ponyboy did. His lips were blue, there were dark bags under his eyes, and his skin was red from the cold. He wasn't wearing anything warm (even his clothes were wet) and he didn't have shoes on. On top of that, he smelt absolutely terrible due to him dealing with trash.

"I was…" Ponyboy tried, finding it hard to come up with an excuse with how tired he was. It felt like his entire brain was numb just like the rest of his body. It felt like his brain was an old, rusty factory that was trying to run again. After a few moments, he came up with something to say. "I was jogging."

Ponyboy wanted to slap himself. That was an obvious lie. Now they were going to be even more suspicious.

Two-Bit glanced out the window before looking him up and down again. "Jogging? You're in your pajamas and it's freezing."

"Don't judge. Pajamas are flexible and easy to move in."

"You're not even wearing shoes."

"Running barefoot… helps…" He racked his brain for another excuse. "It helps… makes your feet more resistant to damage."

Johnny and Two-Bit stared holes in him, causing Ponyboy to shift on his feet uncomfortably. Long seconds passed before Two-Bit shrugged. "Well, I guess that makes sense."

Ponyboy sighed in relief. That was one less person to deal with. Johnny, however, was a harder nut to crack. He continued to stare at his best friend intensely.

"Did something happen?" Johnny asked, worriedly. He was fully awake now. "You're all wet."

Pony scratched at his temple. "I slipped in a puddle. It was really dark outside."

"Then why did you run in the first place?"

"I just… couldn't fall back asleep. I wanted to exhaust my body by running, but I guess that I lost track of time."

 _Come on, Johnny. Let me go,_ Ponyboy pleaded.

"Why couldn't you fall back asleep?" he asked.

So many questions. Ponyboy wasn't in the mood to be interrogated. He shrugged, feeling his body start to become warmer. Hot chocolate sounded so good at that moment. "I have no idea."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "Not really. I need to get ready now. I really need a shower."

"Ain't that the truth. It smells like you were dumpster diving," Two-Bit joked as he cracked his joints.

"You have no idea…" Ponyboy mumbled quietly as he walked towards the bathroom. Johnny continued to stare at him until he closed the door. He let out another sigh of relief, glad that he managed to escape the interrogation for now. He knew that Johnny would try to get more information out of him later though.

"Hey, why is the driveway wet?" Two-Bit pointed out when they were all loading themselves in his vehicle. Ponyboy could feel cold sweat fall down his body. Crap, the driveway wasn't dry yet. He had forgotten all about it.

"Morning dew," Ponyboy explained, throwing his backpack in the car.

"But it's only in that one spot? And why are there burn marks everywhere?"

"We're going to be late."

"But—"

"Time to go! I can't be late for my first class!"

"But—"

"Time to go!"

He closed the door behind him. Two-Bit looked at the wet spot on the driveway once more before hopping into the driver's seat. During the entire drive, Johnny stared at him.

* * *

At school, his dread didn't get any better. It worsened tenfold. When he opened his locker that morning, many slips of paper fell out, fluttering to the floor. He definitely didn't put them in there, so people had to have slipped them inside when he wasn't around. He didn't want to open them. He already knew what they were going to be about. But he couldn't help himself. He must have been a masochist because he soon found himself opening them one by one.

_Kill yourself._

_It's a sin to be gay._

_You don't belong here._

_You're better off dead._

_Your family and friends are ashamed of you._

_Nobody loves you._

_I bet you let everyone fuck you._

Then they started to get worse. So worse that it caused Pony's heart to leap to his throat.

_You came into this world and I'm going to end it._

_I'm going to hurt your family._

He couldn't read many more. They just kept getting worse and worse and they were becoming more personal. Many of them were full-on threats against him and the people closest to him. But what if it was true? What if people were going to hurt the gang?

With shaky hands, he stuffed the notes in his pockets. He was just in time too because as soon as he did that, Archer slammed his locker door shut, causing him to jump.

"What do you got there?" Archer asked curiously, pointing at his pockets. "Love letters?"

Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "Nothing that concerns you," Ponyboy replied.

The Soc whistled lowly. "Keeping secrets from me? I thought we were past that in our relationship."

"What relationship?" Ponyboy paused, not really in the mood to deal with Archer or anything else really. He grumbled, rubbing at his tired eyes, which probably made him look very grumpy. "Actually, you know what? I don't even want to know what you're going to say."

"Jeez… did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something? What's with the terrible attitude? You look like you're going to murder someone."

Hearing those words, made Ponyboy think more. He shouldn't be acting so cold towards Archer. He didn't do anything wrong. Sighing, Ponyboy explained, "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh? Were you thinking about me?"

Ponyboy shot him a glare and Archer held up his hands almost like he had just been caught by the police. "Sorry, sorry. But, seriously, what's up? You're usually not this bitchy."

The younger teen ghosted his hands over his pockets, feeling that familiar pressure around his nose. "It's seriously nothing. The problem will resolve itself in due time."

"So, it _is_ a problem," Archer mused. "Tell me. I'm good at resolving problems."

"And look where you're 'problem-solving' brought us. I'll pass. I can deal with it myself. It's seriously nothing." He didn't want Archer to worry. Would he even worry?

Archer looked lost for words. "If you say so…"

* * *

His day just kept getting worse. It was like everything was planned—that's how coordinated it all was.

At his desk in his first class, there was a stack of newspapers. At first, Ponyboy thought that his teacher had forgotten to pick them up. But, upon closer inspection, he knew that that wasn't the case. They were meant for him and only him. The articles that were on his desk were all different moments when a homosexual person was beaten to death.

There was chuckling behind him and Ponyboy felt sick to his stomach. He stuffed the newspapers in his backpack to hide them and get rid of them later. He then dug his fingers in his scalp, glancing at the clock. The class was only minutes in and all he wanted to do was escape.

People were actually threatening to hurt or kill him. How could he not be freaking out? Some of them were even in his class.

He had to get out. The classroom was beginning to feel suffocating. He felt everyone's eyes on him even though nobody was probably looking at him.

It was too much.

He looked at the clock again. He was only five minutes into the class. The time was going too slowly.

There was more snickering behind him and Ponyboy made the mistake in looking back.

There were a few students behind him that, upon noticing that he was looking at them, started to act out a scene of a flamboyant person being murdered by the other. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he shot one of his hands up in the air.

The teacher stopped their lecture and asked, "Yes?"

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Ponyboy demanded.

"We've only just started the class. Why didn't you go before?"

Ponyboy shrugged. "Can I just go? Please?"

With a sigh, the teacher nodded, turning back to the chalkboard. Ponyboy stood up, hearing quiet wolf whistles behind him. He shut his eyes tightly as he left the classroom, glad to finally be able to have a few minutes to calm down.

When he reached the bathroom, he entered a stall. The closed space made him feel protected and safe despite how anybody could walk in and disturb the peace. He wasn't expecting anybody to since it was the middle of a class period though. He took a long, deep breath, resting his head against the cool stall door. Why is everything getting worse all of a sudden?

Ponyboy tried his best to calm down, probably spending half the class period doing so, when the bathroom door opened. Boisterous laughter filled the once quiet and peaceful bathroom, causing Pony to freeze in his spot. Instinctively, he held his breath and stepped on top of the toilet seat to hide the fact that he was there. Chances were, the people that entered would be gone within a minute or two. Ponyboy could Definity wait that long.

However, it soon became apparent that they were going to be staying a lot longer than just a few measly minutes.

"You should have seen the broad that I hooked up with at the party, man," a voice said and Ponyboy's ears went red. He definitely did _not_ want to listen to this conversation. Why did they have to choose the same bathroom he was in? "She had to have the biggest rack ever and she was great in bed. She must have been such a slut if she was that good. That's the type of girl that I'm into. No commitment whatsoever but still a good fuck. What about you? Did you get any that night?"

"Of course, I did. When have I not?" the other person replied with a voice that made Ponyboy's blood run cold. That voice. Ponyboy recognized it. It was him. The guy from the Halloween party that almost drowned him. Pony didn't know that he went to school with him. He had never seen him before, so he thought that he went to another school. Why was everything so bad for him that day?

His heart was beating hard against his chest. It was so loud that he swore that it could be heard a mile away. His hands shook as his skin turned green with sickness.

No. No. No.

Why did _he_ have to be there?

Ponyboy's skin crawled as he remembered being felt all over. The feelings were still fresh; the fear was still fresh. The Soc being there was like a dagger reopening an old scar.

"At the Halloween party, remember? You went after that gay greaser," the first guy pointed out.

The other one groaned and Ponyboy could just picture him rolling his eyes. "Don't remind me. I was too drunk and thought he was a woman. But man, would he make a fine broad. If he were a female, I wouldn't mind going further."

Ponyboy wanted to throw up.

"I think that greaser should just drop dead in my opinion.

At that moment, the gods decided to smite Ponyboy. His foot slipped in the toilet water (thank god that the last person flushed). Ponyboy about died on the inside for multiple reasons. His foot became soaked in toilet water in an instant. The water seeped through his sock and curling around his toes. And now, on top of that, the people that were in the bathroom with him were aware of his presence.

"Who's there?" one of them snapped.

Crap. Crap. What was he going to do? There was nothing that he could do. He couldn't escape. There was nowhere to go, and they were going to see him if he tried to run. They probably already checked for feet under the stalls when they entered so he couldn't pretend that he was just going to the bathroom. He was absolutely fucked.

"Come out or we are going in there!"

He had no choice. He didn't want them to trap him in the small stall. Ponyboy felt that if he were, whatever was going to happen to him was going to be a lot worse.

Tentatively, Ponyboy stepped out, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. His knees felt weak and he had to lean against the stalls to keep him standing.

"Oh, hey, it's that greaser," the one who assaulted him noted. He approached him and Ponyboy couldn't help but shut his eyes.

"Looks like he was eavesdropping on us," the other Soc commented.

"Doesn't matter."

Run. He had to run!

Ponyboy tried to run towards the door, but a hand wrapped around his wrist before he could make it. The weight caused his body to fling backward and he cried out in pain as it felt like his wrist was about to break. The hold on his wrist tightened to the point where it was probably blocking blood circulation. Ponyboy finally, at that time, turned to look at his assaulter in the eye fearfully.

"Relax, greaser, I'm not going to do anything to you. Not now at least." The Soc leaned forward and Ponyboy violently flinched. His breath ghosted over his skin, causing him to shiver. He whispered lowly, "I bet you would like that, wouldn't you?"

The Soc let go of his wrist, a grin curling his lips creepily. The two Socs left him shakily standing in the bathroom. When the door closed behind them, Ponyboy couldn't hold it in any longer. He dived towards the toilet and threw up stomach acid. The acid burned his throat, but he didn't care about that even the slightest. He gripped the toilet seat tightly, feeling lightheaded.

He threw up again, not hearing the door open.

* * *

When Archer had to go to the bathroom, he thought that he would just go quickly and then return to his class. He wasn't, however, expecting to find Ponyboy vomiting in a toilet. At first, he didn't know that it was him and tried to ignore the puking teen. But he found that it was very difficult to go to the bathroom when all he could hear was someone throwing up.

"Do you have to do that here?" Archer asked with an annoyed tone.

The other person hesitated. "Archer?" came a familiar, weak voice.

"Ponyboy? That you?" Archer stepped closer to get a better look at the boy. True enough, it was Ponyboy who was hunched over the toilet. "What happened to you?"

Again, Ponyboy hesitated and Archer knew that something was bothering him. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shook his head. "I'm just not feeling well."

He wasn't telling him everything. Archer knew Ponyboy for a couple of months now and he became well aware of how often he kept things to himself. Archer kneeled down next to Ponyboy, feeling packaged in the smalls tall. He sighed. "That's not everything. Why aren't you feeling well?"

"I don't know. I must have eaten something bad this morning."

Reluctantly, Archer looked inside the toilet bowl to check the substance. As much as he didn't want to do it, his need to find out if Ponyboy was lying to him or not was stronger. "You're throwing up stomach acid; not food. So, tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"We both know that's not true. Tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

Archer sighed. Another quality that he found Ponyboy had: stubbornness. Ponyboy would have denied it if he pointed it out to him. "You're so stubborn."

"You're one to talk. Just leave me alone. I want to be alone right now." Pony turned back to face the toilet.

"No, Ponyboy. Look at me." Ponyboy didn't so Archer grabbed his wrist tightly and spun him around. Ponyboy flinched, feeling pain shoot up his wrist as Archer pressed his fingers into his bruise. Immediately afterward, the Soc noticed the discomfort that was plastered on Pony's face.

He pulled down Ponyboy's sleeve, finally seeing the nasty bruise that was already so prominent on his skin. "What happened here?" he demanded.

"Nothing happened. I just fell awkwardly," Ponyboy lied, pulling his wrist away and covering it back up.

"Bullshit. It looked like someone's hand did that. Who did that?"

Ponyboy glared, growling. "Why do you care? When our whole fake relationship thing is done, you're just going to treat me terribly like I'm some piece of scum."

Archer shut his mouth. Why did he care so much? It wasn't like he had to comfort Ponyboy. It would have been a lot easier on him if he had just left him alone. Maybe it was because he had been so close to having Ponyboy quit on him so many times already. Maybe he was just nervous that he would ruin his entire plan. That sounded right to Archer, but, at the same time, it didn't. It was hard to not feel a bit attached to the greaser after spending so much time with him. Ponyboy had that sort of aura that just causes people to like him (although, this wasn't true in every case) once they got to know him.

"You only care about me keeping this act up and nothing more," Ponyboy spat, tears finally falling down his eyes.

"That's not true," Archer soothed. "I care about you. I care about you more than you think. I'll fight for you if you get yourself in trouble."

At those words, Ponyboy's eyes widened. He looked at Archer incredulously, crying even harder.

That was what he wanted. Ponyboy wanted someone to fight for him and would stay by his side.

That entire day, Ponyboy felt helpless. Everything sucked. He absolutely hated everything that was happening to his life and he had to fight through it all alone. He couldn't tell anybody about it like he wanted to. He just had to take it.

There was just so much that was going on. He was endangering the gang and his brothers hated him. The school also turned its back against him, and he was ostracized by society. Sure, the gang cared about him, but if the moment came where they had to either pick him or his brothers, he knew that they would stay by Soda's and Darry's side without any question. Maybe Johnny would stick with him, but that was about it.

He was a tagalong kid; only being in the gang because he was Soda's and Darry's kid brother. Ponyboy didn't know why, but he felt so alone lately like he was the only person in black and white while everyone else was in color.

And here was someone who was willing to take some of the load of the sky off of his shoulders.

Ponyboy leaned forward, digging his face into Archer's shoulder. Archer tensed up for a moment before relaxing. "It hurts. I just want them all to stop," he cried.

"Who do you want to stop?" Archer asked but received no answer. So, the Soc sat there, stroking Pony's back. He didn't speak, but that was what all Ponyboy wanted. Soon enough, the greaser calmed down, breathing slowly once again. He didn't pull away, though. Ponyboy only pressed more into Archer, taking a long whiff of his scent. He expected him to smell like autumn, but, this time, it was different. Archer smelled like gingerbread cookies and roasted chestnuts. He smelled like…

"Why do you smell like Christmas? It's not even Thanksgiving yet," Ponyboy murmured, voice muffled by Archer's jacket.

Archer laughed softly and lightheartedly but didn't reply because he knew that Ponyboy already knew the answer to the question. Instead, he said, "Listen, I don't know what's up with you, but I'll be here to listen to you when you're ready to talk about it. I'll be here for you."

Ponyboy's eyes widened, thankful that Archer couldn't see his reaction. Archer loosened up his hug and let his arm slip down to Pony's waist. The now-very-intimate hold caused his cheeks to turn red. Ponyboy's heart fluttered, thumping hard and fast in his chest. The feeling was different, to the point where it downright confused him. He had never felt like this before and it was almost nice. It felt warm.

But even though it felt nice, Ponyboy blamed it on him being sad before. It had to be that. His body was just reacting to being comforted. There couldn't be any other reason why his heart was beating so quickly.

It wasn't like he actually liked him, right?

But, even though Ponyboy was thinking that his heart couldn't help but leap around inside of his chest like a hyperactive frog. He rested his chin on Archer's shoulder. "Thank you for not pressing it," he whispered with a small smile on his lip.


	12. Sick Day

He was sick. After being out in the cold for so long that one night, he knew that it was coming, but he should have taken care of his health more to prevent it from happening in the first place. He tightened his jacket around his body, shivering but sweating at the same time. Ponyboy sniffled, wishing that he had a tissue to blow his nose with. He should have stayed home and rested up, but he honestly didn't feel ill until he took his first step into the school.

Ponyboy coughed, cringing at the guttural sound that put a lot of strain on his throat. It did not sound healthy whatsoever. Man, he should have called in sick. He sniffled as he looked around the school for Archer. At least he had the solace that Archer wouldn't try anything weird to him now that he was sick.

After a while of searching around the school, he finally caught sight of his fake boyfriend. Instantly and weirdly enough, he felt his heart flutter a bit, but he ignored the feeling, thinking that it was nothing. He loped over to Archer, who was taking books out of his locker.

"Hey," Ponyboy weakly greeted, feeling exhausted already. His nose was beginning to become stuffed, making his voice sound gross and nasally.

The Soc looked him up and down, taking in his disheveled appearance. Archer's face scrunched up in disgust once he noticed Pony's pale and clammy complexion. "Are you sick?" he asked accusingly.

"A little." To emphasize what he said, Ponyboy pinched his thumb and index finger closer together.

As if what he had said had caused a chain reaction, Archer took a huge step away from him. His eyes narrowed almost as if he was watching for any microscopic germ to fly out and attack him. "What the hell? Don't come near me if you're sick! I don't want to catch your cold!" he hissed.

Ponyboy looked at him with an are-you-serious expression, eyes gleaming with irritation. Yeah, that feeling that he felt when he saw him that morning was definitely a fluke. He sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll keep my distance."

"Why are you even here if you're that sick anyway?"

He shrugged. "I didn't think I was sick until I got here. I felt fine this morning."

"Well…" Archer stepped forward again, placing a hand on his forehead. It felt both cooling and soothing to the touch. It felt nice. Ponyboy couldn't help but close his eyes and lean into the touch. Color, now pink with blush, returned to his face as his heart fluttered again, stomach doing flips. His brain started to haze over, coaxing him to fall asleep right then and there. He only snapped out of it when Archer pulled his hand away, giving him a strange look. It was then when he realized how he had reacted to the physical contact.

His face exploded in extremely saturated color as he turned his head away in awkward embarrassment. What was he thinking? Why had he done that? He practically nuzzled Archer's hand.

It had to be because he was sick. It just had to be. The sickness was affecting his brain way too much, making him act like he actually had a _crush_ on Archer. Archer, for crying out loud! The asshole Soc who was just using him. There was no way he could have liked someone like him that way. He wasn't even gay!

"You're burning up. You should go back home," Archer pointed out.

Ponyboy pressed his lips tightly together, shaking his head. "I'm good. I'll be alright," he objected.

Archer frowned. "No. I'm being serious, Ponyboy. You should go home."

"Darry would kill me if I went home." Darry would kill him in general. Well, 'kill' might be too extreme of a word, but he wouldn't be surprised if something similar came down to it.

"So what? You're sick. You should take care of your health first. Screw what he thinks is best for you. He's wrong."

Ponyboy couldn't deny that. He shot Archer a challenging look. "No offense, but what makes it so that what you think is best for me is right too?"

"Well, wouldn't you rather go home?"

Again, Ponyboy looked away, finding the hole in his shoe the most interesting thing in the world. He would love to go home. However, he didn't think he could consider his house as his home anymore.

Archer tilted his head to the side curiously. "You don't want to go home?" he questioned.

The young greaser pitifully shook his head, letting out a deep sigh.

The Soc swallowed, connecting the two dots together. "Is… Is everything alright at home?"

Pony didn't answer. He didn't have to for Archer to understand. But, knowing him, Archer probably was thinking that the home problem was due to him being a greaser and not because of his brothers resenting him. But that was okay. Ponyboy didn't want to share that information with him. So, whatever worked, he would gladly take.

Archer looked at his backpack and locker before coming up with a game plan. He smirked, nudging his thumb towards the door. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Ponyboy asked, confused.

"I mean… Do you want to skip this prison and go to my place? My mom would probably fix you something to feel better."

"A sickness won't go away overnight."

"I know, but it'll make you a little less miserable and that could make a huge difference."

At those words, Ponyboy couldn't help but smile. That feeling in his chest appeared again, making it feel like he was floating. He bit his lips. "You wouldn't mind skipping school for me?"

A cackle left Archer's mouth. "Is that even a question? I would rather be anywhere but here."

Ponyboy nodded, the smile growing larger. "Then, okay. Let's go. I'll take you up on your offer."

* * *

Right when they arrived at Archer's house, he was pushed to the Soc's bedroom and told to lay down in bed. After giving Archer a suspicious glance, he lied down while the other male went downstairs to fix him something to eat. Apparently, his mother was out, leaving the house to the two of them in not a weird way. At least, he hoped.

Ponyboy snuggled in the bed, still feeling warm in the face and chest. The bed smelled like Archer. Well, the entire house did—the Christmas scent that he easily became accustomed too after it changed—but the bed just reminded him of him. He burrowed his head in Archer's plush pillows despite how stuffy his nose felt. He breathed in deeply through whatever air passage he had access to, feeling sleep hit him hard. The comfort that the bed gave him added on to his exhaustion. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he fell asleep.

However, Ponyboy wasn't asleep for very long. It was probably half an hour later (maybe even less) when he was shaken awake. He groaned, eyes fluttering open to see Archer looming over him with a tray that was resting on his hip.

"Sit up," Archer ordered and Ponyboy did as he was told, feeling a bit lightheaded. The tray was placed down on his lap. On the tray were a bowl of soup and a cup of steaming water.

"Breathe in the steam from the hot water first so that you could taste the food better and you wouldn't sound so disgusting."

If ponyboy was fully there, he would have shot back a comment. But, instead, he held up the cup and did as he was instructed. Almost instantaneously, his sinuses cleared up, providing him with major relief. He took a sip of the water right afterward with the intention of soothing his throat. As soon as the water touched his tongue, he almost dropped the cup back down on the tray. Pain flared up in his mouth, feeling like it was on fire due to the almost boiling water temperature. He hissed as the water went down his throat, causing him to undergo a sensation like a knife slicing everything open. He had almost accidentally dropped water onto his hands when the cup was slammed down. Luckily, Ponyboy managed to pull his hands away from the cup just in time. He cursed like a sailor as he recollected himself.

Archer snorted. "Dumbass. It's hot water," he teased.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Ponyboy gasped.

"It was steaming. You should have known it was hot. What do you want me to do? Blow everything cool and feed you? Is that what you want?"

"No, I'm not a kid."

But Archer acted like he hadn't heard him and picked up the spoon with some soup ladled inside. He blew on it and mockingly pretended it was an airplane. Ponyboy glared at him and clamped his mouth shut, refusing to eat the food like how a child would.

"Come on, here comes the airplane." The spoon hit his closed mouth and tried to force its way inside but, Ponyboy moved his head away, causing the soup to spill on the tray.

"I can eat it myself."

"Not from what I could see."

Ponyboy snatched the spoon from Archer's hand and started to devour the soup. He hadn't known how hungry he was until then. "Thanks for the soup," he mumbled, shoving another spoonful into his mouth. When he had finished eating, Archer went to grab the tray to take it back down to the kitchen. But, before he could do that, Ponyboy swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I can do it. You made this for me. Let me wash the dishes." It was the system that his brothers and he had at his house—the people that didn't cook were supposed to wash the dishes.

"Maybe you should rest instead. You're really sick."

"I got it." Ponyboy tried to stand up, but as soon as he did, he was hit with a wave of dizziness. He fell back down on the bed, pressing his palms against his eyelids.

"See?" Archer sighed. "You're too sick. I'll take it."

Before Ponyboy could protest, Archer swiped the tray. "I'll be right back," he informed. A cough escaped Ponyboy's mouth, causing the Soc to cringe. "And I'll bring back some medicine. Just don't touch anything. You just being here is enough risk for me getting sick."

Archer walked out of the bedroom again and headed down to the kitchen. Apparently, while Ponyboy was eating, his mother returned home.

"Oh, hey, Mom," Archer greeted, placing the tray on the counter by the sink.

His mother smiled, placing the last of the groceries that she had brought in inside the cabinet.

"You're back early. School's not even out yet," she said. She glanced at the tray. "Did you eat in your room?"

The male shook his head. "Ponyboy's here. He's sick so we left early."

As soon as he said that, his mother's eyebrows knitted together in worry. "Oh no! Is he feeling alright now?"

"I think so. I'm going to give him some medicine to make him feel better. It'll put him to sleep so I'll have to wake him back up later so that he could go home."

"Be careful though. I don't want you to get sick either." She smiled sweetly at her son. "I'm glad that you're taking care of him. You're really growing up well. My son is finally acting more like an adult."

Rolling his eyes, Archer walked away from the kitchen to grab medicine from the bathroom. Once he had done that, he returned to his bedroom only to find Ponyboy not in his room anymore.

"Son of a… I told him to stay here," he mumbled with a growl. He left his room again to search for the sick boy. Fortunately, he didn't have to look very far as his house's other bathroom's light was on. He could hear the sound of Pony throwing up in there. The soup most likely didn't settle well in his stomach. He opened the door, knocking on it even though he was already inside the bathroom.

Ponyboy was hunched over the toilet, looking green. He lifted his head when he heard Archer at the door. Some vomit leaked out the corner of his mouth when he looked up at him.

"How're you feeling?" Archer asked.

"I don't remember what it feels like to not be sick," Ponyboy answered, coughing.

"Luckily, I brought you some medication." Archer shook the medicine bottle to prove it. He poured one of the large pills out and handed it to Pony, who looked more than relieved. "Do you need water?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "I'm fine."

After swallowing down the pill and rinsing the remaining vomit out of his mouth, he returned back to Archer's bed.

"The medicine is going to start taking effect soon. It'll probably knock you out or just make you very tired. You're welcome to stay here and take a nap. I'll wake you back up before it becomes dark."

The young greaser smiled drowsily at him. "Thank you for this, Archer."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

Hours had passed since Archer had last checked up on Ponyboy. He glanced out of the window, seeing how it had become dark. He sighed as he turned off the television, looking up the staircase. With a yawn, he ascended the staircase, entering his bedroom. On the bed, Ponyboy was sound asleep on top of the blankets. He would have looked peaceful if it wasn't for the fact that he was shaking like a leaf.

Archer shook Ponyboy's shoulder. But, no matter how hard he shook, the young greaser did not wake up. Instead, his face scrunched up with discomfort.

"Come on! Wake up! You need to go home," Archer said, but nothing worked. The medicine must have really knocked him out. Sighing, Archer pulled the blankets out from under Pony and covered him up with them. Instantly, Ponyboy wrapped himself up like a cocoon, face relaxing.

Crap. What now? Maybe his mother would know what to do.

"Mom!" he called out. "He's not waking up!"

Not soon long after, his mother poked her head inside the bedroom, taking in the cocoon on the bed. "Poor boy. He must have originally been very tired."

"What are we going to do?"

His mother shook her head. "There's nothing we could do for now. Chances are, it's nothing. We won't know for sure until later. We'll have to watch over him until morning. If his condition becomes worse, then I'll drive him to the hospital." She thought some more. "Should I call his home to inform them that he will be spending the night here?"

Archer remembered what Ponyboy said that morning—how he didn't want to go home. The Soc wasn't surprised. If he were a greaser, he wouldn't want to go home either. They lived in the slums, and a good number of lower-classed families were addicted to alcohol and drugs. That's what he assumed anyway. He never spent enough on their side of town. "Nah. They already know," he lied. It was the least he could do. "I'm going to carry him to the guest room."

An unsure noise left his mother's mouth. "The guest room is being renovated right now. He's going to have to stay in your bed tonight."

A groan left Archer's mouth. He should have known this was coming. "I'll go sleep on the couch then."

"Why?" his mother questioned. "You're dating Ponyboy, aren't you? Just stay in the same bed. That's what couples do. You've never had any problem staying in the same bed as all of your girlfriends when you—"

"Mom!" Archer interrupted, embarrassed. It was one thing if he joked about sex, but his mother? No way. "I'll sleep in here! Don't continue what you were about to say!"

She grinned, waving her hand as she exited the room. "Leave the door open!"

"Mom! No!"

"Don't get sick!"

Archer returned to the bed and sighed. He guessed he had no choice but to share the bed with Ponyboy. He placed a barrier of pillows between the two of them before he lied down on the other side. He tried his best to ignore the fact that he was sharing a bed with Pony, but it was so obvious that he was there. Eventually, though, he did manage to fall asleep because, the next time he opened his eye, it was morning.

Ponyboy was the first to wake up out of the two of them. He woke up feeling warm and a thousand times better. The blanket was wrapped tightly around his body… except, it didn't take long for him to realize that it wasn't blankets that were hugging his limbs. He slowly opened his eyes, wanting nothing more but to shut them again because of how bright the sunlight was. After they were opened, there were more reasons for him to want to close his eyes again.

Instead of a blanket, he saw that strong arms were wrapped around his torso protectively. Legs were tangled with his; his forehead was pressed against a firm chest. Ponyboy's heartbeat got quicker as he completely woke up. He glanced up, seeing Archer's sleeping face. He looked peaceful and carefree like this. It almost put him in a trance and he probably would have been if he weren't so panicked and embarrassed about the situation that he was in.

He didn't know what to do. If he moved, he would wake up Archer and he didn't want to face that awkward situation. Maybe he should pretend to be asleep. That way, Archer would be the one to deal with the situation and not him.

Ponyboy didn't have much time to decide what to do because Archer started to stir. He shut his eyes close right when Archer opened his. The Soc instantly noted how his arms were wrapped around Pony, the pillow wall kicked destroyed. The slightly younger boy almost fit perfectly in his arms.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. Archer carefully moved his arms away, pushing himself away from Pony. "Shit. Shit."

He scrambled out of bed and rushed out of the bedroom as quietly as he could. As soon as the door closed, Ponyboy reopened his eyes. One thing was for sure, and it was something that both he and Archer could agree on, they won't ever talk about this again.


	13. Smiling is the Best Lie

Ponyboy was missing. It had been hours past his curfew, and he had yet to return home. Usually, the gang wouldn't be too worried about it. However, the school called hours ago to report that he was missing and Two-Bit was one hundred percent sure that he had driven the younger boy there that morning. Their first thought was that he had bailed after being dropped off but Ponyboy had never been one to do that. But, then again, Pony had been different after he started dating Archer. He was bolder and more willing to try new things. Archer was changing him for the better or for the worse—they have yet decided on that.

Currently, the gang—minus Soda and Darry—were all cramped together in Ponyboy's bedroom to see if they could find anything that would hint to where he was.

"There has to be something," Johnny mumbled.

The gang searched every nook and cranny of the bedroom, but they didn't find anything. It was just an ordinary bedroom. That was until Johnny looked under the bed where he saw a lone box. He pulled it out, noticing how there was no dust on it. Ponyboy had opened the box recently.

Johnny opened it, half expecting it to be empty. After all, what could something in one small, measly box tell them? He didn't expect to find notes, however.

He lifted one and carefully smoothed it out. His eyes scanned the paper, and what was written on it caused his blood to run cold. He opened up more of the notes, reading similar, hateful sentences. They were horrible. The notes were mostly either suggestions for him to take his own life or threats. Other notes were insults. All of them, though, were about his sexuality. Johnny's hands shook as a numbing feeling washed over him.

How could anyone write this? They had to be from people at his school. Johnny wouldn't know why Ponyboy would ever write these notes to himself.

"Hey, what do you have there? Did you find something?" he heard Two-Bit ask. Nodding numbly, Johnny handed him the notes and the gang members that were in the room looked over his shoulders to read them as well. Two-Bit filtered through them, eyes growing wide at the words. His smile that had always adorned his face was long gone. Even Steve and Dally were shocked at what they had found. Although, that quickly transitioned to rage.

"They're all like that… There are so many different handwritings… So many different people…" Johnny said, mouth dry.

"You don't think that Ponyboy's getting bullied, do you?" Two-Bit put the notes back, unable to read any more of them. It was hard to imagine Ponyboy being bullied. It was more like he didn't want to ever imagine it though.

"What do you think? He's gay and a greaser that's taking advanced classes. Ponyboy's practically asking to be the target of bullying," Steve bluntly retorted.

Two-Bit whipped his head to Steve, glaring daggers. "Don't act like this is nothing!" he snapped so sharply that Johnny was afraid that he was going to sock the other.

Steve held up his hands. "I don't think this is nothing. I'm worried about him just like everyone else is. I'm just stating the obvious. If he wanted to stay out of trouble, he would have kept his trap shut about him being gay. We should have expected the backlash was going to follow him at school."

"Steve's right," Dally stepped in. "It's something that we should have known was happening."

"It's horrible…" Johnny said. "He's been keeping the notes and reading them all the time."

"I wonder if he's okay," Two-Bit mumbled, calming down some.

Dally shook his head, clenching his teeth. "Hell no. Not from this. Nobody could be okay after all of the stuff that Ponyboy's been through," he growled.

"I just don't know why we never noticed what was going on. I mean, we all knew about the tension that he had with his brothers, but we never went further than that."

The gang went silent. They all wondered the same thing. They thought his isolation and glumness had solely been because of his brothers being homophobic.

"Ponyboy has always been good at hiding things from us," Steve pointed out. "He may be the youngest and the most sensitive, but he has a nasty habit of lying. It probably comes from all of the movies he watches."

"I've never really noticed," Dally admitted, a bit of shame showing on his face. "He's always seemed alright and is always smiling whenever I see him."

"Smiling doesn't mean that you're okay," Johnny said out of nowhere. His hands clenched into trembling fists. "Sometimes, the people that smile the most are the most broken."

"He's never here anymore anyway. It's hard to tell," Steve added.

"Can you blame him for not being around anymore with how Soda and Darry are treating him? I wouldn't want to be here either," Dally said. None of them wanted to be around anymore and they weren't getting the full force of it. Ponyboy was receiving all of the blows.

"I just wish he was more open with us," Two-Bit sighed. They all agreed.

"The kid's always trying to act tough. Especially when it comes to dealing with Socs."

That's when a horrible realization washed over the four greasers. The notes mentioned people threatening to hurt him. What if he was in trouble that very second or bleeding like a pig somewhere?

"Do you think he was jumped?" Two-Bit asked, becoming even more serious than he was before. "If the notes were true then…"

Their breaths hitched as the box slipped out of Two-Bit's hands. The notes scattered across the floor as the four of them sprinted out of the house to look for Ponyboy.

They just hoped that they weren't too late.

But, even with the frantic hunting, they didn't find him. The four greasers met back at the Curtis's house the next morning. They had been searching for him all night.

"Have you found him yet?" Two-Bit asked, breathless from running around.

"Does it look like I found him?" Steve replied, agitated. "He's just gone."

"Well he couldn't have just disappeared," Dally pointed out.

Johnny licked his chapped lips, imagining the worst scenarios in his head. "You don't think…" he breathed. "You don't think that he was kidnapped, do you?"

None of them wanted that to be true.

"Man, if we find out that the kid was with Archer the entire time…" Dally started, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes narrowed with annoyance at the thought. But even though the thought annoyed him, he was still worried. "After all of this…"

"I hope that he was," Johnny said.

"Where could that kid have gone?" Steve asked even though nobody knew the answer to it.

Darry looked up from his morning newspaper. He couldn't see why they were all so worried about Ponyboy. If he had anything to worry about, it would be the fact that he was probably spending time with Archer and getting even more influenced by him. That Archer was bad news and he wished that Ponyboy could see that. "He better not be with him," he spoke up. "The last thing that he needs is to be influenced by that fag. Other than that, who cares if he's gone? We wanted him out of the house from the start of him coming out as gay."

The house fell silent for a long moment as the gang looked incredulously at Darry. They knew that he didn't want Ponyboy in the house anymore, but it was still unbelievable to hear it coming out of his mouth.

Dally was the first to speak up. "Are you fucking kidding me, man?" he snarled, seeing red. "Your brother is missing and you don't care? And, Soda, why aren't you caring?"

Soda only stared at him blankly. "I don't consider him my brother anymore," he said.

Before anybody could react, Soda, who was the closest at the time, was slammed into the wall. The house shook, some picture frames falling onto the floor. Soda gasped out in pain and shock, holding his breath when he saw the fury in Dally's eyes. He gulped.

"What happened to the Soda and Darry that we all knew?! They wouldn't act like this," Dally growled. "After everything that Pony went through… is going through right now… this is how you're acting? We just found notes from his classmates, threatening him. What happened to the Soda who would comfort Pony through any pain that he was feeling?"

"I'm still me. I just don't want anything to do with Ponyboy anymore," Soda answered.

Dally's teeth clenched as he brought up his fist. He couldn't take it anymore. Every inch of him wanted to punch the daylights out of Soda and Darry. Maybe then they would see that they were wrong. But, before he could punch Soda, a hand touched his shoulder.

"Fighting isn't going to help anything," Johnny reasoned, removing his hand. Dally eyed the smaller male, almost challengingly. Another long moment passed before the hood let go of Soda who couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

At that exact moment, the door opened and Ponyboy stepped inside with Archer right on his heel. He examined the scene in front of him in confusion. Even though Dally was no longer about to sock Soda, it was still obvious that something of that caliber happened.

"What did I miss?" he asked, blinking innocently.

"Ponyboy!" Two-Bit exclaimed in relief and surprise.

"Hi?"

"He was with Archer," Steve pointed out the obvious. He sighed, glad that the search was over.

"We looked all over for you, but we couldn't find you," Johnny explained. "The school said that you weren't there."

"I was sleeping over at Archer's place."

"Couldn't you have called to tell everyone where you were?" Dally asked a bit too sternly.

Ponyboy pursed his lips. He should have done so, but one of his brothers would have probably picked up the phone. If that would have happened, it wouldn't have ended up well for him. His eyes shifted to his brothers before lowering to the floor. He definitely didn't want to hear them talk more slander about him in front of him. Archer glanced over, watching Ponyboy's expression in his peripheral vision. He sighed before answering for him. "He was really sick, so I let him rest at my place," he explained.

Johnny turned back to his best friend, looking worried again. His eyebrows knitted together, although they were almost unnoticeable due to his bangs covering them. "You were sick?" he asked.

The other boy nodded, giving him a thin smile. "I feel a lot better now thanks to Robin Hood over here," he chuckled but ended up coughing. He grimaced. It still didn't sound healthy, but he expected that the cough was going to stay for a while longer. He sheepishly chuckled. "I'm still a bit sick though."

"I'm just glad that you're okay. We all thought you were jumped or something," Two-Bit breathed. It wasn't uncommon for someone to get jumped in their neighborhood. Ponyboy would have passed off what he had said as nothing. However, something about how he said it hinted towards something else. Ponyboy glanced around, seeing how Steve, Johnny, Dally, and Two-Bit were all looking at him cautiously. It was like they had something big that they wanted to ask but were worried that he was going to break or something.

"Is there something else you wanted to say to me?" Pony tried, a sick feeling growing in his gut. He just didn't know if it was from his illness or not. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something big was going to happen though.

The gang members, excluding his brothers, all looked at each other tentatively, confirming his suspicion. They did have something major that they wanted to talk about. He swallowed thickly, waiting for them to start speaking.

"Are you okay?" Johnny suddenly asked.

That was the question?

"Am I okay?" Ponyboy repeated. Why was Johnny asking if he was okay all of a sudden? "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Ponyboy…" The two of them stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. That one simple question wasn't the one he truly wanted to ask. Pony's heart started to beat faster. But it wasn't the same as it was with Archer. His heart was beating faster because he was scared. He didn't want them to ask their question. Ponyboy wanted to stay oblivious.

"We know about the notes," Dally cut in. And, in an instant, time froze for Ponyboy. His eyes grew wider than plates, heart beating so fast that it went numb. Did he hear them right? They couldn't have known about the notes. No, he refused to believe them. There was no way this was happening to him. His luck couldn't have been that bad.

"The…" he swallowed, trying to play dumb. "The notes?"

"The ones under your bed in the box."

They knew.

No. No. No.

How could they have found out? Then it dawned on it. They went into his room.

His legs moved on their own, shakily running towards his bedroom. Everything around him moved in a blur as he ripped open the door, seeing the toppled over box and the notes that were scattered across the floor. He couldn't breathe. This wasn't real. This had to be some sort of nightmare. But he knew that it wasn't a dream.

They all knew. They weren't supposed to know.

He stumbled over to the pile and fell to his knees. His backpack which he was wearing the entire time slipped off of his shoulder. Tears were threatening to spill out of his eyes, making them turn glassy.

What was going to happen now? All of the threats. The gang wouldn't want anything to do with him now. They were all that he had left. Nobody ever wants to be affiliated with someone who was going through so much.

Feet pounded closer to him and before he knew it, the gang and Archer were standing by the doorframe. Pony didn't look up at them. He was unable to. He was too ashamed.

"What are those?" Archer asked, stepping closer. He grabbed one, slapping away Ponyboy's hand when he tried to snatch it away. The Soc read the words on them, mouth suddenly turning dry. "Who wrote these?"

"I don't know," Ponyboy answered honestly, voice trembling. He didn't know what he was going to do now. He prayed for Archer to do something; to find a way to make the gang forget. Only then would things go back to normal. But he knew that it wasn't ever going to happen. After all, Archer wasn't a miracle worker.

Archer looked at the pile again. "Are these all of the notes?"

Ponyboy hesitated at that question. His eyes flickered to his backpack where he still had the newspapers tucked inside. Unfortunately for him, Archer noticed the quick glance and reached for the bag. When he wrapped one of his hands around a strap, he tried to pull it away from the other boy, but Ponyboy panicked. He held onto it as tightly ask he could, starting a game of tug-of-war.

"No!" he yelled, not caring that he was acting like a little kid. They couldn't find out about the newspapers as well.

"Let go!" Archer ordered, clenching his teeth in irritation.

"No!"

"Ponyboy!"

With one final hard tug, Archer managed to rip the backpack away. He quickly unzipped it and Ponyboy watched in horror as he found the pile of newspaper articles about homosexual people being murdered. Before Archer could utter a word about the finding, something in Ponyboy snapped. He felt his whole world crash upon him; crushing him. He couldn't take it anymore. The anxiety was too much. It felt like he was suffocating and all he wanted was for everything to stop so that he could breathe again.

"Get out…" he weakly and quietly mumbled.

"Ponyboy, we—" Johnny started but Ponyboy didn't want to listen to anybody. Johnny was not an exception. Everything around him turned blurry, tears only moments away from spilling.

"Get out!" he bellowed, eyes shutting tightly as he bent over to almost be curled up into a ball. His breathing started to become erratic to the point of hyperventilation. But he couldn't stop screaming as if he were a broken record. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Hey, kid—" Steve tried, but again, Pony screamed.

"Leave me alone! Please, just leave me alone! I want to be alone!"

"Listen—" Dally started.

"No! Get out! Leave me alone!"

"We should leave him alone," Johnny quietly suggested much to Ponyboy's relief. The gang mumbled lowly to one another—words that Pony couldn't hear. But eventually, though, they reluctantly walked away, leaving only him and Archer in the room.

"Ponyboy…" Archer started, unsure about what he was supposed to say. But, when he saw that Ponyboy wasn't breathing correctly, he crouched down beside him. He placed a hand on the other's back and gently stroked it with his thumb. "Hey, breathe. It's going to be alright. I'm right here."

Eventually, after many minutes of whispering soothing words, Ponyboy started to calm down. He reopened his eyes and looked at his fake boyfriend pitifully, eyes red and puffy. He pulled up a quivering, fake smile that only lasted on his face for a few seconds before falling. It hurt Archer to look at his expression. "Archer, you too," Pony shakily said, voice cracking. "Can you leave me alone?"

"I don't think you should be left alone right now."

"Please… Archer, do this for me."

Archer fell silent before he nodded. If that was what Ponyboy wanted, then he should comply. Maybe being alone would do him good, despite what he just said. It could help him sort everything out. "Alright… but, don't do anything stupid, alright?"

Ponyboy didn't answer the question.

The Soc frowned. "I'm being serious, Ponyboy. Don't do anything dumb. Can you promise me that?"

The other boy stayed silent, looking down at his hands.

"Ponyboy, answer me."

"I promise I won't do anything dumb," Ponyboy finally agreed.

"Good. Don't break it."

When Archer left the room, Ponyboy broke down in tears again.

* * *

Archer shouldn't be caring at all. Why should he care that Ponyboy was receiving all that hate? It wasn't really hurting him or his plan. Ponyboy was a greaser that he knew was still going to help him even with all the notes and newspapers. Nothing more.

But then why did he care so much? Why did he feel so angry?

He silently drove his car to one of his friend's house where all of his friends were going to be hanging out for the rest of the day. They were all lounged in the living room, drinking bottles of beer that his friend's parents failed to hide. Archer was grateful for the drink when he was handed a bottle. He needed it to get his mind off of Ponyboy. But no matter how many swigs he took, the greaser kept appearing in his head.

He glanced at his friends who were chatting about some topic that he wasn't too invested in. He had to ask them about the notes. They most likely knew about it. "Hey," he began, causing their attention to shift towards him. "Do any of you know about the notes and newspapers that Ponyboy has been getting?"

"The greaser?" one of his friends hummed out before snorting. "Yeah, we put in some of them, but the entire school's doing it as well."

Archer took a swig of his beer, clutching the bottle so tightly that it felt like it was going to shatter if he put any more pressure on it.

"Why? Are you worried about the grease?" another friend teasingly asked.

Was he worried? He shook his head. He wasn't supposed to be worried about him. "Just tone down the insults a bit."

His friend scoffed. "Why do you care? He's a greaser and a fag."

"Yeah, but I still need him to participate. You're scaring him away. I don't want to keep doing damage control."

"You're no fun." the other Soc huffed, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Well, let's see who will more fun when this is all over. Now, are you all going to do it or not?"

His friends nodded and Archer let a small smile slip on his face. It was a small feat, but he hoped that Ponyboy would appreciate it.


	14. Melting the Ice

Archer didn't see Ponyboy at school the next day. Or the day afterward. Or even the day after that. When Ponyboy wasn't at school for an entire week, Archer started to become extremely worried. He was already worried before when he had left Pony's house since the younger boy was in a fragile state at that time. He shouldn't be worried at all, but he was. Mostly, it was because of his hesitant promise to not do anything stupid.

 _Where was he?_ Archer wondered. _Did he take his own life even though he promised me that he wasn't going to?_

He thought long and hard on it, trying to reassure himself that everything was alright. The Soc walked down the long, school hallway, eyes glazed over. However, since Archer was too caught up in his thoughts, he almost missed the flash of light, auburn hair that came out of a classroom. His head snapped towards the source, instantly pinpointing the back of Ponyboy's head. There!

"Ponyboy!" he called out. "Hold on!"

But, Ponyboy didn't turn around. Instead, the greaser seemed to have sped up his pace. Archer sped up as well, pushing through the crowd of students. He quickly caught up, grabbing Pony's shoulder. "I said to hold on," Archer repeated, spinning the other around.

When Ponyboy was fully facing him, Archer felt his chest tighten when he saw his face. Dark bags hung under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for days. Besides exhaustion, there was so much sorrow and pain in his eyes. It made it almost hard to believe that Ponyboy was standing before him. Archer had seen him in many heartbreaking positions, and he had thought that he had seen it all. But this was different. He seemed like he was moments away from shattering.

"What is it?" Ponyboy asked monotonously.

"Where have you been?" Archer demanded. "I haven't seen you around or heard from you."

The two stared at each other for a long time. The sadness in Ponyboy's eyes made it difficult for Archer to look at him. Right before he looked away, not able to take it anymore, Ponyboy spoke up again. "I've been going to school if that's what you mean," he answered.

His answer shocked Archer. He was here this entire time? Why hadn't he seen him around? "You've been here this entire time, but you never went up to talk to me or anything?"

Ponyboy pursed his lips, shifting on one foot to another. His eyes became sadder if that was even possible. "I didn't think you wanted anything to do with me anymore."

Archer looked at him incredulously. "What? Why would you think that?" Another thought crossed his mind at that moment. "Wait, you've been avoiding me this entire time?"

"It was for the best." Ponyboy looked down with that pitiful expression again. _That look_. It made Archer sick just looking at it.

He clenched his teeth. "I seriously thought that you tried to hurt yourself or take your own life." Heads snapped towards them, making Archer realize how loud he was being. But it didn't seem like Ponyboy noticed or minded.

"I promised, didn't I? I told you that I wasn't going to do that. You don't have to worry about it."

"I hope I won't have to… But why were you avoiding me?"

Ponyboy hesitated to answer. "Because you saw…"

"The notes and the newspapers," Archer finished.

Nodding, Ponyboy swallowing the spit that had been developing in his mouth since they had started talking. "I don't want to get hurt anymore. I don't think I can take much more. The gang doesn't want me around now. Who even does? Nobody wants to be around so much trouble."

"Hey, don't say that." Archer sighed, flicking Ponyboy's forehead, causing him to look back up at him in surprise. "They don't think that at all. Besides, you hang around Dallas Winston. He's the definition of trouble. No offense to him, but I would rather hang out with you than him."

The greaser tensed. One part of him wanted to defend his buddy and change the subject, but another part of him wanted to continue having the topic about him. He settled for the latter. "How do you know?" he demanded, voice wavering slightly.

"Because not everyone is the same as your brothers," Archer replied simply. "Your gang is worried about you. If you were avoiding me, that means you were avoiding them as well, weren't you? But then… if you were avoiding me, why come to school still? You knew that I would be here looking for you."

Honestly, Ponyboy didn't exactly know why he still wanted to go to school (not taking into account of him wanting to succeed academically). But even though he had been avoiding Archer, he still didn't want to be far away from him. It was torturous, being so close but never talking. Every time he saw Archer, he felt happiness bubble in his chest. It confused Ponyboy and it honestly scared him. Archer shouldn't have this much power over his feelings. What scared him the most was the rejection, however. Avoiding Archer was a way for him to escape it in a messed-up way. "I don't know… I knew that coming here would put me at risk of more of those notes but…" He trailed off, a thought coming to mind.

"But what?"

Ponyboy had to ask. "You know… I've been thinking about this for the entire week… How come you're not getting any of these notes?"

At those words, Archer went rigid. Ponyboy was right. He hadn't been getting any notes. He wasn't being harassed like he was. "Who knows… Maybe people think that you're an easy target?" It was the only excuse that he could think of.

Pony didn't comment anymore on the issue. He looked back down at his feet, frowning. Archer just wanted him to smile again. His smiling face was far more fitting than a frown.

He sighed, trying to think of something that would make him happier. But what would make him smile again?

"I need to get to my next class," Ponyboy suddenly alerted. "See you later."

Before Ponyboy could turn away, Archer quickly said, "You need a pick-me-up."

When Ponyboy looked at him again, Archer swore he saw some interest flash past his face. "What pick-me-up are you planning on doing?"

He didn't know, but what he did know was that he had a bit of time to figure that out. "After school, meet me outside of school."

* * *

The bell echoed throughout the school, signaling the end of the day. Archer quickly collected his stuff and exited the school. When they got out, his eyes instantly zeroed in on Ponyboy, who was already waiting outside for him.

"You got here fast. Excited to see me?" Archer teased to hopefully get Ponyboy to smile at the least.

Ponyboy only stared at him with dead eyes. "What are you planning?" he asked.

Archer grinned. "So, I've been thinking… We should go roller skating."

The suggestion caused one of Pony's eyebrows to raise. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you think roller skating will help me?"

The Soc shrugged. "One way to find out."

"Well… I hate to break it to you, but I don't know how to roller skate."

It was a popular hobby, but he didn't expect Ponyboy to know how to roller skate. He had never gone either, so it wasn't as if he was doing it to show off or anything. Archer had the opportunity to go plenty of times in the past, but he always had something to do whenever his friends went. "Honestly, I don't either."

"Then why suggest it?"

"It'll be an experience."

"My skills in roller skating would be no better than ice skating. Both bad."

Archer perked up at that. "Oh, you want to go ice skating instead?"

Feeling his soul leave his body, Ponyboy rapidly shook his head. Ice skating was a way worse idea than roller skating. Instead of standing on multiple wheels, he would have to be balancing on two blades. Just the equipment alone made it seem like ice skating would be a hundred times more difficult. "No! I didn't suggest that at all!" he objected but Archer ignored him.

"We're going ice skating! Thanks for giving me this idea." Archer patted his back in a congratulatory manner to which Ponyboy replied with a weak punch to the air.

"Great…" He should have kept his mouth shut.

They drove silently to the ice rink. Archer paid for them to get in because Ponyboy didn't have any money on him at the time. It wasn't hard to find out where they had to go after that. The two of them swiftly checked out their equipment, sitting down by the rink to put the ice skates on.

"I can't believe, out of everything that we could be doing instead, we're doing this," Ponyboy sighed.

"Hey, you're the one who suggested it," Archer pointed out, standing up. Ponyboy did as well, repositioning the sleeves of his hoodie to cover his hands. Man, it was cold in there. If he knew that they were going to be ice skating, he would have dressed in thicker clothing. But he was just stuck in a worn-out hoodie for now. He shivered violently. "Are you cold?"

Of course, Archer noticed. "A bit."

Sighing, Archer peeled off his gloves, handing them over to him. "Here. These will help."

For a long moment, Ponyboy just stared at the gloves. He then took them, slipping them on. They were too big for his hands, making them feel like they were going to fall off at any moment, but they were warm. It made the cold more bearable which he knew would make a huge difference in the long run. "Thanks."

When they were both ready to start attempting ice skating, they approached the gate. Looking at the rink, they noticed that it was mostly empty. In fact, now that they thought about it, the entire place was pretty empty as well. Only two kids, their parents, and a professional-looking skater were on the rink.

Ponyboy took a deep breath before he took his first step onto the rink. As soon as he was fully on the rink, he grabbed onto the wall as tightly as he could, feeling like he was about to fall. He was probably going to later. Archer joined him at the wall, grabbing onto it just as tightly. He did this just in time too as the professional skater raced passed them, startling the two of them.

"I don't think we're supposed to be on the side of the rink," Ponyboy theorized. "I think only the people who know how to skate are supposed to be here."

"We're beginners! Where else are we supposed to learn how this all works?" Archer asked, looking around the rink.

Ponyboy pointed towards the center. "Probably the opposite of the side. We probably need to skate near the middle of the rink."

"And how do you think we will get there? I don't know how to go forward, let alone balance on these blades." Archer was getting frustrated by the entire experience. This wasn't going as he had planned.

"I don't know… Maybe push off the wall and see where that gets us?"

It was worth a shot. They couldn't just stay at the wall and they already knew that they were going to fall down multiple times that day. Archer was the first the move out of the two of them. He pushed off the wall, but, because he didn't have his knees bent, he was top-heavy. Soon enough, as a result, he faceplanted on the ice. It happened so quickly and randomly that it looked a cartoon. It was so ridiculous that Ponyboy couldn't help but laugh at him.

Archer looked up when he heard the melodious sound of Ponyboy's laughter. A bright smile was on the younger teen's face that just lit up his face. It was a face that Archer had missed, although he wouldn't admit it.

"Are you okay?" Ponyboy giggled, trying to reach him, but only ended up falling down on his butt.

Both of them were laughing now. They were both laughing so hard that tears started to form at the corner of their eyes. Their stomachs burned, but it felt good. They both haven't laughed like that in a long time.

"See?" Archer chuckled with a loving smile on his face. "I got you to laugh and smile again. I would say that my mission is complete!"

At those words, a blush bloomed across Ponyboy's face, his eyes widening in shock. His heart was beating hard against his chest, stomach fluttering. The two stared at each other, Archer chuckling still, not knowing what effect he had on Ponyboy. They only decided to get back up when the professional skater raced passed them again.

Ponyboy massaged his cheeks which started to feel sore from all of the laughing. He shook his head, trying to get Archer off of his mind. Right, he had to concentrate in order for him to not fall down again. He looked around the rink, watching the feet of all of the other skaters. They were all practically doing the same motion with their feet and they also had very similar body positions.

Ponyboy stated to mimic them with wobbly legs. It was hard for him to get right. He fell down multiple times and so did Archer. However, both of them kept trying and trying, and, soon enough, they were able to move forward slowly without falling down.

The two of them skated around the rink together, side by side. Both of them had small, childish grins on their faces. It was just what Ponyboy needed to get everything off of his mind. He looked up at the Soc, smiling at him.

 _Thank you, Archer, for everything,_ Ponyboy said in his head.

However, while Ponyboy was looking up at Archer, he lost focus on what his body was doing, causing him to tip over. Fortunately, before he could fall over, Archer grabbed his hands, steadying him.

"You need to get your head out of the clouds," Archer commented and Ponyboy sent him a sheepish grin.

They both started to skate together again. They had skated for a minute before Ponyboy noticed that a kid was pointing at them. He didn't know why though. That was until he followed the exact trail of the child's gaze towards one of his hands. It was only then when he realized that Archer was still holding onto it. His face felt hot again. He hadn't noticed at all because of the gloves that he was wearing. But even though they were receiving dirty looks from the parents, he didn't pull his hand away.

The lights around them dimmed as disco lights danced around the rink. Soft music played in the background, but Ponyboy hardly noticed it at all. His eyes were too transfixed on the hand that was being held by Archer.

Ponyboy felt lighter than feathers. His heart was beating so quickly that it felt like it was going to run away from him. He shouldn't be feeling this way. The two of them were at most friends and Ponyboy was definitely not gay. He couldn't be. He was supposed to one day get married to a _female_. He liked girls… didn't he? But then, why had he never been attracted to a female before? He had originally thought that it was because he was still really young… but now, with Archer in the equation, he was starting to believe otherwise. Archer was making him question everything, making it all so confusing.

While Ponyboy was trying to figure everything out, he once again lost his balance. Archer turned around to steady him again but ended up losing balance as well, sending them both crashing towards the ice. The speedskater, who wasn't too far behind them, tried to skid around them in order to not get caught up in the mess as well. Although they managed to successfully do so, they ended up sending a small spray of ice over Ponyboy and Archer.

Both of them groaned out in pain when they landed on the floor, ice skates hitting against their legs. Fortunately for Ponyboy, he landed on something warmer and softer than the ice flooring. When his eyelids fluttered open, the first things that he saw were Archer's coffee-colored eyes. Their faces were only centimeters apart from one another, breath hitting each other's lips. Everything around them froze in time as it became only the two of them in the dimly lit room. Colors danced across their skin, causing the ice that was covering them like a sprinkle of snow to glow in a plethora of hues.

None of them moved. Ponyboy didn't think he wanted to anyways.

Then, all of a sudden, Archer's face scrunched up in pain. "Can you get off of me?" he groaned, trying to push Pony off. Ponyboy instantly snapped out of his daze, scrambling to get off of him.

"Sorry," he apologized, heart still beating rapidly as if he had just run a marathon.

Archer sat up, holding one of his ankles. He cursed under his breath, wincing when he squeezed it too hard. "I think I sprained my ankle."

"What? You sprained your ankle?" Ponyboy sat up straighter in worry, eyebrows scrunching together. This was all because he fell. If he had been more careful, Archer wouldn't have gotten hurt. "This is because of me…"

Ponyboy started to frown again, causing Archer to sigh. They were back at square one again. "Don't blame yourself for this. It wasn't your fault." He slowly got up, grimacing as he balanced on the blades again. "Besides… it's not that bad."

"You can hardly stand with a straight face."

"I'm fine," Archer reassured. Although, it wasn't convincing at all.

"We should go sit down," Ponyboy suggested. "Standing on it might make it worse."

It was a struggle, but, eventually, the two of them made it out of the ice rink. They sat down, Archer instantly elevating his foot as he started to take off his ice skates.

"I'm going to get some ice," Ponyboy brought up.

"I think we had enough ice for today," Archer joked. "I can hardly feel my feet with how numb they are."

"Still… I need to do something…" Ponyboy looked unsure. "I'm going to get an employee, okay? They'll know what to do."

The greaser stood up quickly before Archer could protest. He turned his body, running forward. However, he didn't get very far before he fell down. Through his worry, he had forgotten to take the ice skates off before taking off.

"Take off the skates! You can't run in them!" Archer scolded, causing Ponyboy to look back at him sheepishly. "And get back over here. I'm seriously fine."

"But…" Ponyboy wanted to protest. Archer was definitely not fine.

"I'm being serious, Ponyboy."

"Can I take a look, at least?" Maybe it wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be. Archer nodded in reply and Ponyboy gently caressed his exposed ankle after removing his gloves. Nothing seemed out of ordinary besides a few bruises that were already forming. He was sure that he had similar ones growing on his ankles from how many times he had fallen. But Archer seemed alright, much to his relief. "Well, your ankle isn't sprained. I think you just fell awkwardly. It's going to hurt for a bit more though."

 _Thank goodness…_ Ponyboy breathed out a sigh of relief.

When Ponyboy looked back up at him, Pony smiled again, eyes so gentle and filled with care. It caused Archer to feel butterflies in his stomach, but he blamed it on his relief. There was no way that he was feeling anything for Ponyboy. However, the expression he gave him made him feel horrible for using him, nevertheless. Ponyboy was an amazing person, someone who doesn't deserve to be hurt at all. Why did _he_ have to be the person that walked through the bathroom door back then?

"Sorry…" Archer muttered and Ponyboy tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Sorry for what?" Ponyboy asked. "I was the one who tripped."

How was he supposed to tell him? "No… It's not that… Just… forget it…"

Ponyboy wanted to press into it more, but something told him that Archer wasn't going to tell him anyway. He decided to drop it. "If you say so…"

"Now, smile again. That's what we came here for. Smile or I'm going to tape the corner of your lips up."

Ponyboy grinned, rolling his eyes. A thought louder than the rest of them blared in his head: _I shouldn't be thinking this, but I think I might actually like you more than a friend._


	15. Robin Hood and Marian

The audience was loud as cheers erupted from everyone's mouth. Feet pounded across the track following after the boom of a gunshot. There were so many people watching and participating that day since it was the first meet of the season and there were many schools there already. Ponyboy squeezed past the crowd, trying his best to get to the field so that he could stretch and get ready for his first race.

He managed to push his way to the gate when an arm wrapped around his waist and a hand covered his mouth. Ponyboy's eyes went wide as he was harshly tugged backward, heart leaping to his throat. Out of instinct, he struggled against the hold, squirming while trying to pry off the arms. He tried to scream out for help or to catch someone's attention, but his muffled voice only blended in with the cheering.

"Don't move," a voice that was obviously purposely deeper than the original ordered.

Wait a minute… Ponyboy froze. He recognized that voice despite the disguise.

He stomped his foot down onto his captor's own, causing a yelp to come out of their mouth. "Jesus Christ!" they cursed, letting him go. Ponyboy spun around to find exactly who he thought it was.

"Archer, don't do that!" Ponyboy griped. "I thought that someone was about to jump me!"

Archer dramatically shook the pain away in his foot, laughing at him. "But you should have seen your face!"

Huffing, Ponyboy crossed his arms to show his displeasure but easily forgave the Soc anyways. One question was burning on his mind now. "What are you doing here anyway? I never told you that I had a track meet today."

"I think the question is, why didn't you tell me that you had a meet today?" Archer corrected, catching Ponyboy off-guard.

"I just…" Ponyboy shifted his weight to another leg. It wasn't just Archer. He didn't tell anybody about the meet. "I didn't think that you wanted to come."

"You went to my game, so I'm going to show some interest in your meet. Is there a problem with that?"

Ponyboy's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at his words, heart fluttering a bit. He shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. "No, there isn't a problem at all. Thanks for coming, Robin Hood."

"There you go with that nickname again," Archer mumbled to himself, looking at the starting line of the next race. Runners were already gathering there, lining up. He pointed his finger towards the mass of runners. "It looks like they're getting ready for the next race. Is that your event?"

Ponyboy looked over to where Archer was pointing and nodded. He should probably hurry over so he could be able to stretch. "Yeah, it's my first event."

A hand clamped over his shoulder in a silent 'good luck,' and Ponyboy shot Archer a tentative smile before walking over to where the other racers were gathering. He quickly stretched while each row of runners ran forward. When it was his turn to run, he took a long, deep breath, crouching down into position. His eyes zeroed in on the finish line, muting the cheers around him. The only sound that he focused on was the one of his own breathing and the incoming sound of the starting gunshot.

The sound of the starting gunshot sent a shiver down Ponyboy's spine as he pushed off his back leg in a sprint. His arms pumped by his sides as his feet pounded against the track so quickly that it felt like his legs were running away from him. People were cheering around him, but they sounded distant to him. He quickly pulled into first place, the finish line getting closer and closer with each passing second. He could vaguely sense the other runners not too far behind him though.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Archer watching him by the fence. Without realizing it, he slightly turned his head towards him, feeling time around him slow down. His heart pounded quickly against his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was from him running or from seeing Archer.

"Focus, Ponyboy!" Archer's voice suddenly ripped through everything, snapping Ponyboy out of his daze. His eyes widened as he snapped his head back forward. For a flash moment, he saw the other runners catch up to be only a few steps behind him. If he didn't speed up, they were going to pass him. Ponyboy leaned his body more forward, pushing himself harder. His side started to cramp up, but he ignored it to the best of his abilities. The finish line was right there. He just had to endure it for a little while longer.

Slowly, he started to create distance between him and the other runners. His foot passed over the finish line as cheers came rushing back to him. He stomped his foot down while he ran, forcing himself to slow down. He panted hard as he came to a stop, placing his hands on his knees. It's been a while since he last ran like that. Even in his practices, he didn't push himself that hard. He was so out of shape.

After grabbing his time and reporting it, he walked over to where his next race would start and sat down in the grass to rest a bit. When he had finished all of his events, he looked back to where he had first seen Archer but didn't see him by the fence. He frowned but jogged over to the audience stands, looking around for him. This proved to be an easier task now since many people had already left.

"Archer?" he called out, but, of course, he didn't receive an answer. Did he leave already? The thought made him feel disappointed. He had hoped that Archer stayed the entire way through.

He had just about given up on searching for the Soc when he caught sight of the back of a familiar figure. He felt butterflies in his stomach again, smiling as he rushed over to him.

"Hey, Arch—" his voice got caught in his throat when he saw the scene in front of him. He saw Archer with an unfamiliar girl clinging onto his arm, both of them laughing with smiles blown upon their faces. For some reason, the sight of them together made his stomach drop. He stopped his pursuit over to him as if his feet were glued to the pavement. There was an ache in his chest, making it feel like his heart had stopped beating.

This feeling… It was jealousy, he just knew it. He wasn't unfamiliar with the feeling, but He still didn't like it one bit. Ponyboy didn't like those two together. He wanted them apart. Archer was with him.

Right after he thought that Ponyboy shook his head. What was he thinking? There was no reason to think that way. It wasn't like they were actually together. But that didn't change the fact that what Pony saw hurt.

He forced a smile onto his face, walking over to Archer as if he had no control over his body. All he knew was that he didn't want him talking to her. He stepped up to the pair, wrapping his arms around Archer's waste and forcefully pulling the girl and him apart. He leaned his weight against Archer, scrunching his shirt in his hands. "Hey, I was looking for you. I didn't see you after I finished my last race," he said, the corners of his mouth feeling like a thousand pounds were weighing them down. He could feel a glare zeroing in on him, but it only made him feel satisfied with himself.

Archer stared at him, startled at the sudden entrance and behavior. His eyes went wide for a moment before he quickly caught himself. "Oh, hey," Archer replied, trying to pull away from him, but Ponyboy only tightened his hold. "I was just talking to—"

"Barbra," the girl finished for him, turning her attention to Archer and not removing her gaze from him for the rest of the conversation as if she didn't have the time to deal with Ponyboy herself. "And who's this?"

"This is Ponyboy."

She crossed her arms. "He's clinging onto you pretty tightly. What's his deal?"

Ponyboy glared at her. "Archer's my boyfriend," Ponyboy snapped, jealousy almost blinding him.

Instantly, her face turned red. She was probably from another school if she didn't know about them and their 'scandal'. "You two…" She swallowed, baffled. She gaped like a fish. "You two are together? But you're both boys!"

"Your point?"

"It's wrong and disgusting."

"If it's disgusting, then why don't you go away so you wouldn't have to look at us?"

If possible, her face turned even redder as she spun around and stormed away, muttering insults. Ponyboy's strained smile turned into a satisfied one when she left, but it dropped when he heard Archer murmur, "Man, that broad was hot."

His heart clenched again, causing him to grind his teeth. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but what Archer said really hurt him. It reminded him that, even though he liked him, Archer didn't necessarily like him back the way that he did. Then again, Ponyboy shouldn't like him at all. Subconsciously, he held onto him tighter—so tightly that his knuckles started to turn white.

Archer tried to pry him off again, but Ponyboy continued to hold on. "What is with you?" Archer asked a bit annoyed.

"I don't like it…" Ponyboy mumbled.

"Don't like what?" He examined Ponyboy closer, seeing him still looking in the direction of the girl that had just left. Realization hit him. "Don't tell me… You're jealous?"

At those words, Ponyboy pulled away from him, crossing his arms. He looked away stubbornly. "Me? Jealous? Not a chance!"

"You are! But why? There's no reason for you to be jealous. It's not like you actually have a crush on me."

But he did, as much as he didn't like admitting it. He took another step back. "You're right. I have no reason to feel jealous…"

Archer could tell that something major was on Ponyboy's mind. He wondered what it was. It was a question he would ask for another time when Ponyboy was in a better mood. He decided to change the subject to a lighter tone instead. "Man, you run fast," Archer complemented. "You totally outran everyone in all of your races. Well, besides that one time where you almost screwed up. If it wasn't for me, you would have gotten last place."

Ponyboy rolled his eyes at his cockiness, jealousy and hurt somewhat pushed aside. He shouldn't feel jealous, he kept reminding himself. "Wow, thanks," Ponyboy said sarcastically.

The Soc clapped his hands together and rubbed them together. "So, Roadrunner, what next?"

The greaser snapped his head towards Archer again. It was a simple question. However, what caught his attention the most was the nickname. "Roadrunner?" Ponyboy raised an eyebrow. Was that what Archer was going to call him now? After a cartoon character?

"Your new nickname. It's payback for calling me Robin Hood. I came up with it while you were running." Archer grinned, seeing Ponyboy playfully glower at him. "Do you not like it? I can call you something else if you would like."

That piqued his interest. What else did Archer have in mind? It couldn't be good, but he was still curious. "And what would that be, Robin Hood?"

"Marian."

Catching Ponyboy off guard, the younger boy did a double-take. "Marian…" he slowly repeated. Where did that name come from? "Why Marian?"

Archer's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Because she's Robin Hood's love interest."

Red bloomed across his cheeks at that, but he glared at Archer, nonetheless. He just knew that the nickname was going to be worse. He shouldn't have asked because he liked the sound of 'Roadrunner' far more than 'Marian'. "Don't call me that."

He shook his head. "But that's your name now, Marian!"

"Stop! I don't like the nickname!"

"Too bad! You started it! You called me Robin Hood first. I have to call you something and you wanted something different than Roadrunner. This is what you get."

Ponyboy just had enough of the nickname. Well, it did one thing well, he guessed. It made him forget about his previous jealousy and the girl. "How about this? If you stop calling me Marian, I'll stop calling you Robin Hood for an entire week."

Archer hummed, grinning. He dramatically scratched at his chin. "Tempting… a whole week… It's a good offer." He acted like he was thinking about it, nodding his head. "Sure, Roadrunner. You have yourself a deal. Now, you have to stop calling me Robin Hood."

Smirking, Ponyboy chirped, "Okay, Hawkeye."

The Soc faltered at the new nickname that came out of nowhere. "Is Hawkeye going to be my new nickname?"

"For an entire week."

"I should have seen that one coming."

The two burst out in laughter, starting their walk to the parking lot. Before they could get there, however, they were stopped. Johnny appeared in front of them, smiling gently. Ponyboy felt his body go rigid again when he saw him, something that didn't go unnoticed by Archer. The Soc glanced at him through his peripheral vision, raising an eyebrow. He knew that Johnny and him were best friends so it made him wonder why Ponyboy was acting that way towards him.

"Ponyboy, you sure run real good," Johnny started, hoping to start a conversation with his friend.

"Thank you, Johnnycakes," Ponyboy awkwardly answered with a strained smile. "I didn't think you would come."

It was then that Archer realized that Ponyboy was still avoiding his gang, despite the conversation he had with him. But why? Was he still scared?

Johnny also noticed the hesitation, eyebrows knitting together in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Ponyboy opened his mouth but closed it again, shifting his weight to his other foot. With a sigh, Archer nudged him forward, giving him a reassuring smile. "Don't be scared," he whispered in his ear, sending shivers down Pony's spine. "He doesn't hate you. Your other friends don't hate you either."

"But—" Ponyboy whispered, but Archer cut him off.

"You should go and talk to him. You both need it. It's going to be okay. I'll be nearby if you need me, Roadrunner."

With that Archer walked away, leaving Ponyboy with a longing feeling as he watched him walk away. He shook his head. He shouldn't long for him.

He turned his attention back to Johnny before they both walked back over to find a place to sit on the stands. Luckily, not many families were still there so they had quite a bit of privacy. For a long moment, nobody spoke, unsure about what they were supposed to say for the first time ever. They never really had that problem before.

"You're not around much anymore," Johnny finally began, staring at Ponyboy to see if he could read him like he used to be able to. But, no matter how hard he examined him, he couldn't. Ponyboy was like a completely different person now.

"There's just been a lot on my mind recently," Ponyboy answered honestly. He fiddled with his fingers, trying to find some sort of distraction from the awkwardness. He watched the people around them move about while also keeping an eye on Archer who was already talking to another female. He clenched his jaw.

Johnny was about to press into what he had said but stopped short when he saw the sudden pained look on his friend's face. He placed a hand on Ponyboy's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to bring his attention to him. It worked since he snapped his head back over. "Are you doing okay?"

Ponyboy nodded despite his eyes saying otherwise. "I'm doing alright…"

It was an obvious lie. Johnny pressed a hand against his own chest, leaning forward. He hated when Ponyboy lied. "Are you really? Ponyboy, you know that you could talk to me, right?"

"I know…"

"You're not doing alright at all and we both know that." Johnny's voice was filled with built-up emotion, causing his volume to raise slightly. All of his frustration was starting to come out, bubbling out of its containment. "Why can't you tell me what's wrong? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" Ponyboy instantly answered, gaping. How could he think otherwise?

"If you trust me… please, tell me what's wrong so I could try to help you."

Ponyboy desperately wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to scream about everything that was on his mind. But he just couldn't. At least, not yet. He couldn't tell Johnny about the fake relationship that he had gotten himself trapped in. Even though he was confident in the fact that Johnny wouldn't make fun of him and would keep it a secret, he still made a promise to Archer. There were just so many other things going on in his life as well. He couldn't just load that all onto him, could he?

The two stared long and hard at each other, and Pony was able to see the hurt in Johnny's eyes. It made him realize something big. He had caused this hurt. While he was selfishly focused on his own problems, he had been neglecting everyone else close to him, pushing them away and making them feel useless and unwanted. He couldn't imagine how intense that feeling must have been with Johnny, seeing how they were best friends and all.

"Is it the notes?" Johnny asked.

Ponyboy shook his head. Even though they were a part of it, it wasn't the main thing that was on his mind. "The notes don't really bother me anymore," he replied, tilting his head to the side. "Well, they do… They still hurt but I've been trying my best to throw them away before I could read them. That's not what was on my mind though."

"Then what is?"

Ponyboy clenched his hands, looking back over to Archer. His heart started to hurt again, stomach dropping. "I'm so confused, Johnny."

Frowning, Johnny pressed more into it. "Why are you confused?"

There was another long pause—so long that Johnny thought that Ponyboy had refused to reply to his question. He was about to change the question when Ponyboy continued. "At first… I wasn't really sure about what I've been feeling…"

He spoke ambiguously, but Johnny followed Pony's eyes to Archer, and he understood immediately. "You're talking about Archer."

Ponyboy nodded again. "I hated him at first… I didn't think that I could ever catch feelings for him. Part of me still doesn't want to like him. He's an ass half the time, but I can't help but still love it when he's around. I can't help but want to spend time with him and cling onto him. But it still hurts because I don't think he likes me back to the extent that I like him. He hurts me, and I keep falling for him more and more and I don't want to. I'm not supposed to like him. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel anymore. Am I supposed to like him or am I not?"

Johnny understood nearly perfectly. There were still parts of the story that Ponyboy was obviously keeping away from him, but it was enough. He smiled reassuringly, eyes so warm that they could melt ice. "You like him, Ponyboy," he stated. "I've seen the way that you look at him. I've never seen those expressions on your face before—filled with so much love and all. You might be confused on the inside but on the outside its for sure. You're scared to be hurt, but you're always going to get hurt. Both of you are going to hurt each other from time to time. That's unavoidable. It's bound to happen. But both you need to learn how to understand each other though and continue pulling each other through. You fear to like him but what's so wrong with it?"

"Because I'm not supposed to. Society doesn't allow it."

"Who cares about that? If you like him, then nothing else should matter. It'll only hurt you and confuse you more if you reject it."

"But everyone will hate me."

"Not everyone will hate you," Johnny argued. "You can't assume that everyone thinks the same way. Besides… Dally, Two-Bit, Steve, and I haven't turned our backs on you. We're all here for you and none of us wants you to suffer. So, please, never be scared of us. Don't push us away anymore. I know that you think that you're the most trustful person since it's yourself but have faith in everyone else around you too."

The younger greaser smiled at his words. This time, it wasn't forced. Johnny was the best person ever. How could he have ever pushed him away? He missed being able to talk about things with him. "Thanks…" he said. "This really helped a lot."

"You can talk to me at any time." Johnny quickly corrected himself. "You can talk to any of us at any time."

Both of them stood up and Archer walked over, noticing that they had finished their conversation with each other. "Ready to go, Roadrunner?" he asked.

Nodding, Ponyboy chuckled. "Yeah, Hawkeye. I'm ready."

Johnny stayed behind, leaving his best friend with his fake boyfriend. A huge weight was lifted from his shoulder knowing that Ponyboy was still going to stick around and not push him away any longer.

"You're smiling," Archer noted. "Did something good happen?"

"I just feel like I understand things more, is all," was all Ponyboy said as they walked away.


	16. Under the Starry Sky

Archer could have expected many things to have happened during Saturday afternoon—a freshly-made meal, his mother returning home from the store, or even his friends bursting open the door to hang out. He wasn't expecting, however, the familiar figure of his father who had been "away on a business trip" for quite a while now. When he pushed open the door, Archer was startled, whipping his body around in shock. At first, he thought that someone had broken into his house while he was in there, but he quickly waved that idea aside. Nobody would rob a house in the middle of the day. There were too many eyes around the neighborhood. He then took the time to examine the two figures that had entered his house, quickly recognizing one of them to be his father. Next to him was a beautiful, elegant woman that he had never seen before. She was probably a business partner or an assistant.

"Dad, you're back!" Archer cheered, jumping off the couch and jogging up to the older man with a huge smile plastered on his face.

Upon seeing him, his dad smiled as well. Although, it didn't reach his eyes. When Archer got closer to him, he noticed the aging lines that were under his tired eyes and his graying hair from all of the stress that his job puts him under. He looked exhausted… or maybe even reluctant to be there. But Archer couldn't understand why he would be feeling that.

"Mortimer!" his father greeted, putting down his briefcase. Archer cringed at his birth name being said out loud.

"I didn't know that you were coming back today. Mom never said anything! She's going to be so happy to see you!"

His father's tense smile dropped as he stiffened up in his spot by the door. He scratched at his temple, pressing his lips together into a thin line. "I…" he started, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "I actually came back to discuss an important issue with your mother."

Archer's eyebrows knitted together. From the looks of his father's expression, it couldn't have been good. "Important issue?"

"You're here," came his mother's sudden voice, appearing next to Archer. For once, she wasn't smiling. She was just as serious as her father—something that Archer hadn't seen in quite some time. There was definitely something up.

"Mom, what's going on?"

She shifted her weight onto her other foot, crossing her arms over her chest. "This has something to do with all of us. Not just between your father and I."

Now Archer was even more confused. "All of us? I get us three, but, why her?" Archer jabbed his finger towards the woman that entered his house with his dad. "Who even is that?"

The lady smiled at her presence being acknowledged, holding out her hand. Archer took it, shaking it briefly. "It's nice to meet you, Mortimer," she said. "Your father told me all about you. I would have thought that he had spoken about me to you as well."

Archer shook his head. "Nope. Not a thing, lady."

At his words, the woman rose an eyebrow, shooting a look to his dad who just rose up a hand in a silent apology.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Archer demanded, exasperated that nobody was telling him anything.

His mother stepped up, picking at a loose string on her shirt. "Well… Honey… You see…" she began before stopping short, shooting a look for help to her husband.

His father sighed, deciding that there was no point in delaying the inevitable. "Your mother and I have been having issues lately and I had to get out of the house," he explained.

"I thought you went on a business trip," Archer said.

"Well, that's what we both wanted to tell you."

"Honey… your father and I are getting a divorce," his mother bluntly explained, ripping out the loose string. "He's here so that we can go and finalize it."

Archer felt his blood run cold at what she just said. His body went rigid as his mouth opened, unable to produce any sound out of it. It felt like his world stopped right then and there as everything was coming to an end before him.

Divorce? That couldn't be right. There was just no way. He had to be hearing things. His parents couldn't get a divorce. They were meant to stay together. But one look on everyone's faces and he knew that what he had heard was true.

He rapidly shook his head, backing up a few steps. "No. No!" he screamed, causing everyone else to flinch. His mother placed a hand on his shoulder, but he quickly whacked it off of him. His mouth felt dry as he continued to back away.

What was going to happen now? He couldn't imagine his life without his father in it. Would he have to go between houses? There were just so many questions that were revolving around in his head that it skyrocketed his anxiety and flat out made him scared. Archer wasn't scared of many things, but this, for sure, had to be near the top of the list.

"Hon, I know that it's shocking but—" His mother started but was cut off.

"No!" Archer bellowed, a stricken expression on his face. "Mom, Dad, you can't...Please, no. Don't do this. Why can't we just work this out? You don't have to get a divorce if we can just figure it all out."

"Honey…"

"It's for the best," the random woman tried to comfort him, causing Archer to whip his attention to her. How did she know that? How could she possibly know? Unless… Archer put two plus two together. That's when everything dawned on him. His dad had been sleeping with this woman. Instantly, a red rage blinded him as he glowered at the woman and his father.

He pointed an accusing finger at the woman, letting out a frustrated scream. "Is _she_ the reason why? _Seriously_?! You've been having an affair with _her_? You've been cheating on Mom this entire time?"

"Archer…" his mother muttered, letting tears fall from her eyes. Archer never wanted to see her cry in his life. "I didn't want this either."

"Look, Mortimer—" his father cut in but was interrupted.

"It's Archer!" Archer corrected.

His father nodded, holding his hands up in an attempt to calm him down. "Well, _Archer_ , sometimes things just don't work out. I know that this is hard for you, but don't you want me to be happy?"

"Wasn't my Mom and I enough to make you happy?" His voice cracked terribly as his eyes felt strained as if he were about to cry himself. The house went silent and Archer just about had enough, unable to stay there without exploding on them. "I can't even look at you anymore, Dad."

"Archer…"

But that was the last thing that he heard before he pushed past them, purposefully shoving his shoulder into his dad's as he slammed the front door shut. As soon as the door was closed behind him, he screamed out, kicking a flowerpot across the lawn.

His toes burned from the impact, but he couldn't care less about that. He stormed away, tears threatening to fall out.

How could they do that to him? They were supposed to be a family. They weren't supposed to split apart. He thought that they loved each other, but he was proven wrong.

What now? That question was the loudest in his head.

Where was he supposed to go? He didn't want to go home and face his parents. What was he going to do? How was he even supposed to _feel_? His emotions were all jumbled together, and it made him an absolute mess.

He was probably walking around for hours— just trying to sort everything and calm down—since the sun looked like it was starting to lower. He probably still had an hour or two before it became dark. After all of that time walking, he knew one thing that was for sure. He wanted someone to talk to or at least be there for him.

When he finally looked up from the ground, he was surprised to see Ponyboy straight away. A longing feeling washed over him as his mouth instinctively opened up to call out to him. That was when he noticed the young greaser look over his shoulder in fear at something that Archer couldn't see. The younger boy took off in a run, leaving Archer wondering what had spooked him. That was until he saw a Corvair trailing behind him.

* * *

Ponyboy's lungs burned as his feet pounded against the pavement. His breathing was erratic as his eyes swiftly skittered around for a place to hide.

"Come on…" he muttered. There has to be something! He couldn't keep running forever. He was going to run out of streets to swerve into and his stamina sooner or later.

"He's over there!" someone screamed, causing Ponyboy to jolt. He had to run! He couldn't let them catch up to him!

However, as he was sprinting, a hand wrapped around his waist, violently yanking him behind someone's car. A hand clasped around his mouth, muffling his startled yelp as he fell onto his butt. His heart pounded against his chest in both fear and adrenaline as the worst scenario ran through his brain.

They caught him. This was it.

How did he even get here in the first place?

* * *

_Flashback…_

_Ponyboy was minding his own business that afternoon, bouncing a cheap rubber ball as he strolled out of the movie theater. The sudden change in lighting burned his eyes, but he was still grinning, nevertheless. He couldn't help it after seeing the movie. Although he had seen that movie a number of times already, the residue that it had left him was euphoric. It was just so great. It seemed like almost nothing would knock him off of his cloud that day._

_But, of course, there had to be something._

_All of a sudden, as he was bouncing the ball, the sound of a car engine roared behind him, causing him to stiffen up instinctively. He looked over his shoulder, eyes wide as a Corvair sped towards him. Time seemed to slow down as he was frozen in place._

_Move. He had to move._

_Before the car could hit him, he managed to snap out of it, diving to the side right as the car ran over the spot that he was just in. Ponyboy eyed the car incredulously. No way. They were actually trying to hit him!_

" _Greaser!" they screamed out of the window. Ponyboy didn't recognize them at all. They didn't know that he was gay by the sound of it, so they were going after him based on the fact that he was a greaser._

_Ponyboy pushed himself up to his feet when the car illegally turned around on the road._

" _Christ…" Ponyboy hissed under his breath as he took off in a run. The car followed right behind him as he zigzagged through different streets in an attempt to lose them. Although, that seemed ridiculous. He knew that he couldn't outrun a car no matter how fast he was._

_How was he going to get out of this?_

* * *

It felt like forever, but eventually, the Corvair passed by the two as they hid behind the vehicle. Ponyboy listened to the quiet crunch of the asphalt as the car rolled over it. He swallowed thickly, able to calm down some when the rumble of the engine faded away in the distance. The hand that was clamped over his mouth removed itself, letting Ponyboy breathe again.

"They're gone," said a familiar voice that caused Pony's attention to snap towards the owner of it. He hadn't even looked at the person who had grabbed him as he was too focused on the car that was trailing him.

"What? Archer?" Ponyboy breathed out. "What are you doing here?"

Archer raised an eyebrow as if he had asked a stupid question. "Obviously, saving your ass. Why were they following you?"

Ponyboy mirrored his expression. "Because I'm a greaser."

The Soc nodded, standing up and looking around. He motioned towards Ponyboy to get up as well. "Come on. We should probably get a move on. They're still looking for you."

At that moment, the rumble of the engine returned causing both of their heads to snap towards the sound. The Corvair had returned and the occupants in it saw them.

"Too late," Ponyboy mumbled as the car picked up speed.

"We got to go!" Archer bellowed, grabbing Pony's wrist as he took off in a run. Just like what Ponyboy did before, they weaved through the streets; even trampling through people's lawns. It was repetitive. Every single time the car was about to hit them, they would dive into another street or jump over someone's fence. They ran and ran, but they knew that they weren't going to be able to continue running away from the car forever. They were already running out of stamina.

They ran into another street, seeing the car drive past it. It would give them a few more seconds before the Corvair would be on them again. However, Archer stopped in his tracks, causing Ponyboy to practically run into him.

"We can't keep doing this," Archer pointed out, panting hard.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Ponyboy asked, swallowing his saliva to soothe his dry throat.

Archer looked around the street, trying to find something that would get them out of this mess. His eyes zeroed in on a car and a smile curled his lips. "I got an idea."

"What idea?"

The Soc jogged over to a convertible car, hopping over the door. "Get in."

Without asking any questions, Ponyboy did so. Only when he was fully situated in the car did he start questioning him. "What are we doing? They're going to catch us."

"We're going to drive away." He said that like it was obvious, but Pony quickly found the flaws in his statement.

"But this isn't your car!"

"Maybe there's keys somewhere…" Archer hastily searched around in the car, looking in every possible spot where keys could hide. But, in the end, he ended up fruitless.

"Nobody would leave their keys in a car… let alone a convertible one."

Archer turned to Ponyboy, throwing up his hands. "Well, what else are we supposed to do?"

Ponyboy chewed on his bottom lip, cranking his brain for any idea. His eyes fell down to the wheel, an idea striking him. He nodded to himself. He knew exactly what he was supposed to do. "Move over," he ordered.

"What?"

"Move!" Without letting Archer question his motives any longer, Ponyboy hopped over the Soc's lap, lodging himself between him and the door. Archer moved out of the way, not knowing what Pony was going to do. He watched as the younger male fumbled around with the wires under the wheel. As he was doing that, the Corvair turned onto the street that they were on.

Archer looked over his shoulder, gasping. "We need to go _now_!"

"Hold on! I'm going my fastest!" Ponyboy continued to fumble with the wires, a trickle of sweat falling down his temple.

The car began to speed towards them. They weren't slowing down.

"Now, Ponyboy!" Archer screamed.

The car rumbled to life and Ponyboy sat up with a small satisfied smile in his face. "There!" he said.

"Now drive!"

Ponyboy snapped his attention towards him in shock, eyeing the car that was going to hit them at any moment now. "I don't know how to drive!"

"I don't care! Just go!"

With a weird, nervous sounding escaping his throat, Ponyboy grabbed the wheel and pressed down on the clutch and shifted the car into gear like he had seen the gang do before. He slammed his foot on the accelerator and the car jolted forward.

The drive to escape was not pretty whatsoever. It was a thousand times more nauseating than the scariest roller coaster in the world. Pony weaved around, causing people to honk and curse at him. Fortunately, they were lucky enough to not have passed by any police officers.

The Corvair followed close behind them and it seemed like they wouldn't be able to lose them. Pony suddenly swerved around a corner, almost skidding out. He could hear Archer yell out in shock beside him as he corrected the car. Through his rearview mirror, he could see the car that was following them pass by the street he was on. He didn't see the car after that, so he guessed that they either gave up or they lost them.

Miraculously, Ponyboy managed to get the two of them to a park without dying. Nobody was there since the sun was already starting to set. He parked the car, which was about to run out of gas, hands stiffly letting go of the steering wheel.

"Next time," Archer breathed out, "when we have to do a getaway… you are not driving."

Ponyboy numbly nodded. "That would be for the best," he replied, heart still leaping out of his chest. They took a long moment to calm down. Nobody spoke anything as they watched the sun slowly lower itself, painting the sky with vibrant colors.

Eventually, Ponyboy turned to Archer. A question was burning on his mind. "So, what were you actually doing there when you found me?"

Archer instantly became rigid at his question. All of the events that had happened at his house came crashing back to him. He had almost forgotten about it all because of how hectic everything was. He pursed his lips, clenching his hands into fists so tightly that it felt like his nails were going to pierce through his skin. His heart wrenched from the fresh memories, causing him to suck in a shuttering breath.

"What's wrong?" Ponyboy asked worriedly.

But Archer didn't say anything. How could he? Sure, he wanted to tell Ponyboy, but how could he do that when the greaser didn't even have his parents around anymore?

"You know that you can always talk to me, right?" Ponyboy continued, leaning forward in his seat.

"I know…" Archer whispered just loud enough for Ponyboy to hear him. "I'm just mad and scared."

"What happened?"

Shaking his head, Archer leaned forward to cover the back of his neck with his hands. "I don't want to talk about it."

Gently smiling, Ponyboy solemnly nodded. "I understand. You don't have to talk about it. I'm not going to force you to."

Even though he said that Archer was already on the edge of telling him. He wanted someone there for him and Ponyboy wanted to listen. "My parents are divorcing," he blurted out, not being able to look at Ponyboy.

Ponyboy's breath hitched. He wasn't expecting that. "I'm so sorry…"

Without meaning to, tears started to fall from Archer's eyes, shocking Ponyboy. It was weird to see him in such a vulnerable position—a total contrast to his cocky nature. Archer's hands were shaking terribly and Ponyboy had the urge to reach out and hold them within his own. But he held himself back from doing so. Archer continued, "And I know that I shouldn't be saying this to you with both of your parents gone, but I just… I just…"

"You don't have to think about my parents. They aren't important right now. Just you."

He sniffled, the pitch of his voice going up the more that he cried. "I don't know what to do. I'm terrified. I never thought that this would ever happen. We were all so happy and then they told me this out of the blue. I'm scared, Ponyboy. What's going to happen now?"

"Everything's going to be alright," Ponyboy soothed and Archer looked up at him with puffy eyes. It shattered his heart to look at him in such a state. "You're scared because you can't imagine a life without both of them with you, and that's only to be expected. You're probably so confused right now, and you might even distrust people… But it's going to be alright, you hear? It's hard right now and it will be in the future."

"I don't feel like anyone's with me anymore." He sniffled again and Ponyboy couldn't take it anymore. On the seat of the car, he got onto his knees so that he was, at that moment, taller than the other. He wrapped his arms around Archer's head, hugging him against his stomach. Archer's eyes widened in shock for a moment, before he let them close. He raised his arms and hugged Ponyboy's waste, burrowing his face into his sweatshirt, sobbing quietly.

"It's going to be okay…" Ponyboy repeated over and over again, running his fingers through the Soc's hair. "Even though you feel like that... right now, I'm glad that you're with me."

Archer felt his heart flutter at his words. Even though he was still sad, he couldn't help but let a small smile form onto his lips. He pressed his head in more, grabbing Pony's sweatshirt tightly within his hands. They stayed like that for a long time, unmoving until the sun completely disappeared over the horizon, leaving them in the dark. Archer pushed away, not saying a word as he rubbed at his puffy eyes. He leaned back against the seat, tilting his head upwards towards the sky which was dotted in many stars. Ponyboy did as well, wrapping his arms around his legs.

Although he loved sunsets, the night sky was just as beautiful. He smiled, a mesmerized expression washing over his face.

Archer turned his attention over to him, staring at his face which was slightly illuminated by a distant light. Stars personally didn't interest him, but, for some reason, he thought that he could watch Ponyboy become so transfixed on something that he was so fascinated with forever.

At one point, Ponyboy leaned his head against Archer's shoulder. And, instead of pushing him away, he rested his own head on Pony's. The younger boy blushed, letting out a content sigh. But that feeling didn't last too long. His smile fell as he realized something. They had been "dating" for months now. It has been going on for way longer than what both of them had thought it would. It made him wonder if everything between them was going to end soon.

He didn't want it to end.


	17. Heart Breaker

Ponyboy didn't know when he fell asleep, but the next thing that he knew, it was already morning and he was still in the stolen car with Archer. His eyes fluttered open, squinting as they adjusted to the sunlight. He lifted his head up, quickly finding that something was holding him down. Curiously, Ponyboy looked down and couldn't help but let a small smile curl itself onto his lips. He didn't remember when, but sometime during the night, the two of them had laid down with him on top of the other. The Soc's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, keeping him close to his body. Ponyboy hummed, laying back down and resting his chin on Archer's firm and warm chest. He reached up, combing his fingers through Archer's hair and smiled even more when he leaned into the touch.

Slowly, Archer opened his eyes and Ponyboy froze, quickly removing his hands from his hair. Archer looked at him, first almost not recognizing him because of his drowsiness, but then he snapped awake. His eyes trailed down to Ponyboy's waist where he was still hugging him.

"Oh," was all he said, keeping his arms around Ponyboy for a few more moments before letting go of him. Reluctantly while keeping in a pout, Pony pushed himself off of Archer. "What time is it?"

Ponyboy shrugged. "I just woke up myself."

Sitting up, Archer fixed his hair in the rearview mirror. "We should probably go then. It looks like it's already lunchtime."

"Probably… They'll be looking for this car as well."

"Do you think that you could start it up again?"

Nodding, Ponyboy bent over to fumble with the wires again. However, no matter what he did, the car wouldn't start back up. Pony groaned. "I think the battery is dead," he announced.

"What?!" Archer exclaimed, shooting forward in his seat. He started to mess with the wires even though he didn't know what he was doing. He soon gave up, throwing his hands up in the air in irritation. "How are we supposed to get back without a car?!"

Pony chewed on his bottom lip, glancing towards the entrance of the parking lot that they were in. If they were in a park, there was probably public transportation nearby. "There might be a bus station nearby. If not, we could find a house and ask to use their phone to call for someone to pick us up. They could drop you off at your place as well." He said this without really thinking about his words. Next to him, Archer's face fell, reminding Ponyboy about the divorce. He quickly corrected himself. "Or not! We can find you a place to stay."

Archer shook his head, sighing. "No, I need to face them one day. I can't keep avoiding them forever," he muttered. Ponyboy gently smiled at him, putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"You can do it. Everything's going to be just fine."

"I really hope so."

The two eventually ditched the car, making sure that there were no traces left of them inside of it, and made their way to the bus station. They say down on the bench, waiting for the bus to arrive that would eventually take them closer to their homes. The time there was silent, tension high as Archer's parents were the only thing on the Soc's mind. He didn't want to face them. Facing them meant that he had to face reality. He let out a shuttering breathe, digging his fingers into the back of his neck.

Ponyboy resisted the temptation to grab his hands to calm him down, but, man, was it hard. All he wanted to do was to comfort him.

"It's going to be okay," he murmured. It was the least he could do.

Eventually, the bus arrived, and they soon found themselves standing in front of Archer's house. One of Archer's hands was wrapped around the doorknob, not twisting it open. Sweat was trickling down his temple as he swallowed thickly. "I… I don't want to do," Archer admitted.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Ponyboy asked.

Archer shook his head. "No… It's something between my family and I. But thanks for coming this far with me."

"I'll be here with you always." And it was true. Ponyboy wanted to always be there for him.

The look that Archer gave him made him look older. He smiled tiredly, early signs of wrinkles showing under his eyes. "I hope that you are too… but for now, I think you should go home. Do you want me to walk you back home before I go in?"

He was avoiding entering his home and Ponyboy knew that. "I can take care of myself," he said, taking a few steps backward. "Don't worry about me. I'll see you in school later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. See you later, Marian."

"It's Ponyboy!"

With that, Ponyboy was gone. Archer took a deep breath as he pushed open his door. The house was dead silent as if nobody had been in there for days. It felt stale, almost. He closed the door behind him, and, as if that was a calling signal, his mother ran up to him out of nowhere. Her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying all night long.

"You're back," she breathed out in relief. "I thought you that weren't going to come back."

Archer shook his head. "I'm not going to abandon you like what that jerk did to you," he stated, talking about his father. Just the thought of him made his blood curl. "Where even is he?"

"He's in the guest bedroom with…" His mother cut herself off as her eyes glazed over in pain.

His mouth dropped. "You're letting him stay here?!"

"He needed a place to stay for the night. I couldn't not help him!" she defended.

"He could have checked himself into a hotel or something."

"Well…" She looked down at her feet, hair falling in front of her eyes. Archer sighed.

"You know what? Let's just get this over with. The faster that he's gone, the better."

His mother looked back up at him. "I thought that you didn't want him to go."

"I don't, but I can't forgive the fact that he had been lying and cheating this entire time. He's the reason why our family is breaking apart... why you're in pain. I don't want you to be hurt."

"You're the best son that a mother could ask for. What did I do to deserve you?" she sobbed, starting her walk to the guest bedroom. Archer followed right behind her, feeling more nervous with each step that he took. His mother knocked on the door extremely gently. But even though it was so gentle, it sounded like she had been pounding her fists against the wood.

"Come in," a deep grumble was heard inside. The mother and son shared one more look at each other before they both entered the guest bedroom. There his father and the woman that he had been in an affair with were casually sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for them. When his father saw Archer, he stood up instantly, looking relieved. "You're here. We were all convinced that you were just going to take off for good."

"Yeah, that thought crossed my mind, but I have to face this head-on," Archer replied, taking a deep breath. He stuck his clammy hands into his pockets, shifting his weight to his other leg. "Listen, Dad, I'm not happy."

"I didn't expect you to be happy with this at all."

"I'm really angry at you… but I don't want to feel this forever. But I have to wonder, what did Mom and I do for you to do this?"

"You two didn't do anything," his father declared. "I still love you two although not the same way as it used to be. It's just… not the same anymore. I don't want to fake love."

Archer's jaw tightened, feeling that familiar pressure behind his eyes that told him that he was going to cry soon. "But you felt that way for her?" He gestured to father's girlfriend.

"I do." His father nodded. "I love her very much and I hope that you would accept that. She makes me happier and one day you would understand too."

"What? To cheat on someone that I would have a family with to be with another person who probably was just a better _fuck_?"

"Archer!" his mother exclaimed in horror, but his father just held up his hand to silently tell her that it was okay.

"Archer, that had nothing to do with it. I know that you probably haven't felt this type of love yet, but you will one day…" He froze, noticing the twitch on his son's face. "Unless… you know what I'm talking about."

Ponyboy appeared in Archer's brain and he couldn't figure out why. But no matter how much he tried not to think about him, he kept appearing.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" his father asked, and Archer felt a pit in his stomach. That's right. He was supposed to like females; not males like Ponyboy Curtis.

"It's nobody," Archer muttered.

"Is it really nobody?"

Throwing his hands up into the air, Archer growled, frustration building up. "Stop getting off-topic!"

"But it's not getting off-topic. Mort—Archer, I'm really sorry that it didn't work out between your mother and I, but I don't want to fake a relationship."

He knew what that was like. Archer pressed his lips tightly together. That's what it was like between Ponyboy and him. He hated to admit it, but he saw himself in his father. He clenched his hands into fists, knowing that what he said was justifiable. He took a deep breath. He just had to accept it. "I understand where you're coming from."

"Thank you, son." His father smiled in relief.

There was still one question that he had to ask. "So, what now? What happens after this?"

"Well, what do you want to happen now?" his mother asked.

"Well, I want everything to go back to normal."

"Archer…"

"I know, it's not going to happen, but I could still dream." He sighed. "I want to stay here. None of that switching between parents stuff. I don't think I would be able to handle it."

His father looked pained at his words. He still loved his son. It hurt to know that he didn't want anything to do with him after the finalization of the divorce. "You don't want to stay with me?" he asked.

Archer's eyes narrowed. "Dad, I can hardly look at you without exploding. I don't think that I'll ever forgive you for this betrayal. I've accepted why you did it, but I don't think that I could go further than that. I still love you, don't get me wrong. You're my dad, but that doesn't change the fact that you turned your back on Mom and I. She always stayed and you always went. So, therefore, I think that you should leave here as soon as possible."

Reluctantly, his father nodded his head, looking down at his feet. "I understand… I'll pack up my things right now."

"Good." Turning around, Archer marched out of the room. He just wanted to be alone right now. "I want to be alone. You know where to find me if you need me."

The door closed behind him. He wouldn't see his father for a long time after that.

* * *

It had been rough for Archer at school. He almost didn't want to go back. His father and his girlfriend had left the house soon after the conversation. There were many moments where he regretted telling his dad to leave but he knew that it was for the best.

He was tiredly leafing through his backpack under the staircase when Ponyboy plopped down beside him.

"How are you holding up?" Ponyboy asked, wrapping his arms around his legs.

Archer shrugged. "Lonely," he replied, "but I know that it'll get better eventually. It just hurts right now."

"I understand… You'll feel better soon." Ponyboy leaned his body against Archer to comfort him with a bit of physical contact and the other teen let out a deep sigh, leaning against him as well. "Remember, I'm here for you."

Humming, Archer gave him a weak smile as he remembered something. "You know… It's funny… My dad talked about fake relationships and I just couldn't help but think about us, you know?"

At that, Ponyboy's breath hitched in his throat. What was he trying to say? "Yeah? What did he say about them?"

"That he didn't want to continue faking a relationship."

Oh, man… Is he… Was he going to do what Ponyboy thought he was going to do? His heart hammered against his chest just thinking about the possibility. He turned his head and the two of them stared at each other with intense expressions. He noticed how close their faces were at that moment and almost recoiled back. But he stayed in place, letting Archer's breath brush past his face as it was being caressed. His breath smelled like a fresh brew of coffee. Archer noticed how close they were as well before his eyes flickered to Pony's lips which were slightly parted. A part of him wanted to close the distance, and he probably would have if there was more time. However, the bell suddenly rang, snapping both of them out of it. They jumped away from each other, faces redder than tomatoes.

"I… I… um… I better get to class," Ponyboy stuttered, standing up and swinging his bag over his shoulder. He looked away from the Soc, unable to bring himself to look at him due to how embarrassed he was.

"Yeah, me too," Archer agreed, fumbling with his stuff.

The two awkwardly walked away from each other, faces hot.

' _That was a close one_ ,' Archer thought. He had to get it together. He wasn't supposed to like Ponyboy. But… he couldn't lie to himself. He really did like him… but that didn't matter anyway. Not in his situation.

* * *

It took another week, but eventually, Archer started to act like himself again. He still had some depressed moments though. But, with each second that passed, Ponyboy grew even more anxious. He knew that their deal was going to be coming to an end soon since they had been together slightly longer than a normal high school relationship. It was a great time to "break up" without seeming suspicious. But Ponyboy didn't want to break up. He didn't want them to end… but instead, he wanted it to become real. It was only a matter of time and he knew that Archer was probably thinking about it too.

They were walking in the hallway with Archer's friends one day, his heart clenching painfully as he continued to think about the possibility of them "breaking up". He looked down at his feet, watching them kick out with each step. A long sigh left his mouth.

"What's up?" Archer asked, nudging him.

He should tell him.

No, he shouldn't.

Yes, he should.

But he was going to get hurt if he did.

His mind was having an inner war with itself, trying to figure out what he should do and how he should advance from here forward. Should he tell him or should he not? If he told him, he would have to confess his feelings as well, and he didn't know how Archer would react to that. He didn't know if he liked him back or not. Should he take the risk?

He was going to get hurt if he didn't tell him. If he didn't tell him, Archer would eventually leave him altogether. So, he might as well just go for it to have a tiny bit of chance of things turning out well.

He was so scared. That was apparent. But he had to regardless of his anxiety.

He turned to Archer, holding his own hand to hide the fact that they were shaking. "Archer, I need to talk to you about something," he said, instantly regretting it right after it had left his mouth. Golly. Why did he do that? He was such an idiot!

"Sure, what is it?" Archer asked with a grin.

There was no turning back now. He looked around at Archer's friends who were staring at him, making him feel even more nervous. He looked at Archer sternly. It was now or never. "Alone."

Archer's smile fell as he saw how serious Ponyboy was. He nodded and waved his friends away who looked less than pleased. They whispered to each other as they walked away. When Ponyboy thought that they were gone, he turned back to Archer who was waiting patiently for him to talk. "I.." he swallowed thickly, finding it hard to form words. His heart hammered at his chest in fear, stomach turning in a nauseating manner. It felt like he was going to throw up. Why do movies and books make this seem so easy? It was so hard.

He couldn't do it. Back out. Back out. Back out!

"What is it?" Archer asked again, noticing the panic in the greaser's eyes. "You can tell me."

"I don't know what you'll think about this," Ponyboy muttered.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it's about us with the whole fake relationship thing."

Archer's mouth turned into an 'O'. His eyebrows turned downwards in worry, something that didn't go unnoticed. It gave Ponyboy a bit of hope. What if _he_ was worried that Pony was going to be the one to end things? Maybe he liked him after all. "Do you want to end this? I mean it's been a while, so it makes sense… but… I honestly didn't think that you wanted it to end."

Here it goes. "Archer… I want to end the fake relationship." The Soc looked devastated. Quickly, before Archer could respond, Pony continued. "Because I don't want it to be fake."

That took Archer by surprise as his mouth dropped. "What do you mean?"

Golly, Archer. Did he have to spell it out for him? Ponyboy shut his eyes tightly so that he wouldn't have to look at Archer. "I like you, Archer," he finally admitted. "I want us to have a real relationship and not a fake one."

At first, there was silence. It felt like time was running in slow motion. But then laughter boomed around them. Ponyboy snapped open his eyes in shock, looking around him. He saw Archer's friends popping out of their hiding places, laughing at him and pointing their fingers at him. Ponyboy felt small at that moment—like he was staring up at terrifying giants.

"Did you hear that? He actually likes him! What a fag!" one of them bellowed.

 _What?_ Ponyboy didn't know how to react. He was confused. What was happening?

"I told you that he was gay! You owe me five bucks!" another chuckled.

Did they know about the fake relationship even though Archer and him and promised to tell no one? No way…

"He actually thought that Archer liked him back!" another Soc joked.

Ponyboy whipped his head towards Archer who wasn't looking at him. "Archer…" he started, voice wavering. He hoped… No, he yearned that it wasn't true.

Archer didn't look at him for a long time. When he finally did, his eyes were blank and cold. He chuckled, sounding stale. A twisted smile was forged onto his lips that didn't fit him at all. And it was then that Ponyboy wanted to be swallowed up alive.

"I could never like you," Archer spat. At that moment, Ponyboy felt everything shatter. "I've only been using you."

There was no way… Ponyboy's heart hurt so badly as if someone was repeatedly stabbing it with a knife. His blood ran cold as his eyes grew impossibly wide. It felt like he had been punched in the gut; beaten to a pulp. Tears started to form, threatening to spill out at the slightest push.

The fake relationship was a joke from the start. He was only a game for them. Archer didn't actually like him. Those moments that they had together were all fake.

No… That can't be right…

"Tell me that this isn't true…" Ponyboy pleaded, voice shaking so much that it was almost incomprehensible. Please, don't do this… This had to be just a nightmare.

Archer's nose scrunched together in anger. "What don't you get, grease! I _don't_ actually like you! I _don't_ want to look at you! I _don't_ even want to hear your voice. You make me sick!" Archer snapped.

"Archer…"

"Get lost, faggot!"

Ponyboy couldn't take it anymore. He spun around, feeling his tears fall. Everyone was looking at him, caving him in. He had to escape. His feet felt heavy as he ran towards the door, vision blurred by his tears.

"Look at that greaser cry!" he heard one of the Soc's laugh out.

"Go die in a ditch!" another yelled at him.

"There's no room for faggots like you!" came another voice.

The door to the school slammed behind him as he ran towards his house. It was the only place that he could think to go to. Why did he trust his feelings? Everything was ruined. _He_ was ruined.

However, if Ponyboy were to have looked back while he was running out of the school, he would have noticed the pained look that was on Archer's face.

Both of them regretted what they did that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all hate me now. I just pulled the rug from under you all. But you'll be reading different POV's for this soon. Just another drama plot for you.
> 
> Review your anguish or thoughts about this chapter. I honestly would love to hear it! xD


	18. Falling like a Snowflake

He couldn't take it anymore. Every part of him felt like it was being crushed and it hurt. His heart was being stabbed over and over again, becoming nothing but ripped-up shreds. Tears were still running down his eyes as he ran home, causing the world around him to become blurry. Cars honked as they passed by him as he ran a tightrope of being hit by a vehicle and the side of the road.

How could Archer do this to him? He thought that he liked him or, at the very most, cared about him. They were friends… at least he thought they were. After everything that they've been through together, it only made sense. He certainly felt close to him. They had so many moments together—comforting, protecting, and having fun with each other. But it turned out to only be just one big, fat lie and that was the most painful part of it. Archer betrayed him and stabbed him in the back after he had given him his full trust.

But, then again, he should have seen the rejection coming. Ponyboy was a fool. A huge fool. He was so naïve. Like hell would Archer like him back. He was disgusting, after all. His brothers were disgusted with him and so was most of the school. Archer and everyone but his brothers in the gang were the only people he had left that accepted him. Now… he was feeling lonelier than ever before.

While he was running, his foot got trapped behind his ankle, sending his body forward. His eyes widened as his body painfully crashed against the asphalt, skidding. A red-hot, burning sensation spread across his exposed skin which tore a bit upon the impact. But it didn't hurt. Nothing could hurt more than his heart. He could hardly even feel the cold, winter air that nipped at his nose as well. Instead, the only thing that felt cold was his chest. It was a cold that was so freezing that it was unbearable.

Ponyboy, clawed at the asphalt, feeling the dirt that was on it become stuck in his nails. He looked up towards the cloudy sky, letting out a visual, shuttering breath. It was probably going to snow soon, he realized.

A loud honk told him that he couldn't stay there on the side of the road. He shakily got to his feet, knees feeling weak as if he were about to collapse again. He stumbled home, become more and more numb as he got closer to his house that he didn't want to return to.

Reluctantly, he opened the front door, already hearing Soda's and Darry's chatter from somewhere in the house. Taking a deep breath, Ponyboy walking inside, closing the door behind him. Instantly, the conversation stopped, and he knew what was coming for him. He lowered his eyes to prevent his face from fully being on display. He knew that he looked like a wreck.

"What are you doing back early?" Darry's voice suddenly asked, causing Ponyboy to flinch violently. Here it comes. He wished that the house was empty because he didn't want to deal with his brothers right now. "School isn't out yet."

"I'm in a lot of pain," Ponyboy quietly answered.

"That's not an excuse to skip school! You were probably out with that faggot, weren't you?"

Irritation and frustration instantly built up within Ponyboy. He dug his nails into his palms, gritting his teeth. Every single day was the same and he was sick of it. For once, he wanted his brothers to get their heads out of their asses and just let him take a breather. Maybe even actually be there for him. It was always about Archer and him being gay. Ponyboy hated it so much.

"Can you just leave me alone for once in your goddamn life?!" Ponyboy snapped, causing Darry to become red in the face.

"Watch your damn language, you fag" he retorted, storming up to Ponyboy until he was mere inches away from him. Darry towered over him intimidatingly, but Pony didn't back down. He was too angry to.

 _That word_. That _fucking_ word. He hated that word. He despised it before, but now, because he was just rejected, he hated it a thousand times more.

"Fuck you," Ponyboy spat, glaring up at Darry despite displaying his puffy, red eyes.

"Ponyboy!" Soda screamed, causing Pony to flinch again. "You're getting out of control! What would our parents think about you?"

Not this again. Why do they always have to bring up their parents? His jaw was starting to hurt with how hard he was grinding down his teeth. It was a mistake to go home. He knew that his brothers were home and he knew that they were going to yell at him. Why was everything he did wrong? "Why can't you worry about me? I'm dealing with so much and all I want is for someone to be there for me; for my brothers to listen to me without blaming me for being gay. I want my brothers back."

"And I want my brother back as well." Soda's eyes were cold, causing Ponyboy to shutter.

"Why can't you accept the fact that I'm gay? It's me. You always told me that you would always love me no matter what."

"Yeah, but not _that_." Soda moved an outstretched hand in a small circle as a way to gesture his entire body.

Ponyboy scoffed. "So, you were lying to me. It seems like everyone's been lying to me these days."

He hated liars. He thought this, but he knew that he was one of the biggest liars yet. And he hated himself, that was no lie.

"I guess I did," Soda grumbled.

Pony felt his nails break through the skin on his palms. He couldn't stand talking to them. He was going to blow up on them and he just didn't have the energy to do that. What he needed was a private place—a place where he could just curl up in a ball and comfort himself.

"I see…" was all Ponyboy said before he turned around to head back out the door.

A hand grabbed his wrist. "Hold it! You're not going anywhere!" Darry declared, but Ponyboy just stared at him blankly. He ripped his arm away, pushing Darry back as hard as he could. Stumbling backward, his older brother looked at him shocked at the sudden aggressive behavior. Ponyboy had never done that before.

"Don't ever touch me."

Before Darry or Soda could say another word, Ponyboy swung open the front door and stormed outside, slamming it behind him.

As soon as the door was closed, he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. It was a random urge, but he felt like it would allow him to let all of his emotions out. He also wanted to do _something_. He just wasn't sure what yet. At first, Ponyboy wanted to find a private place, but, as soon as he left his house, he knew that he wanted to do something to distract him until he was all better. He wasn't sure if that was how it worked, but all he knew was that he didn't want to sit around, waiting to be eaten up by his sorrow.

He walked around for a while, not really caring where he was going. He didn't even care if he wandered into Soc territory and got jumped. In a sick, morbid way, he wanted to be jumped because it was _something_.

Fingers twitching against his leg, he looked around. He had to do something. He didn't want to feel this pain anymore. He wanted to feel free and light instead of being squished by the world. But what would do the job?

"Curtis!" he heard the familiar voice of Curly Shepard yell at him. Ponyboy froze in his spot, suddenly hyperaware of his disheveled appearance. He probably looked like a wreck. Pony's eyes were still puffy, and he was all scratched up from falling before. As quickly as he could, he tried to fix his appearance, but it didn't matter anyway because, in a second, Curly was right in front of him.

"Hey, Curly," Ponyboy answered, voice sounding nasally with how plugged up his nose was. He looked down, but that didn't mean that Curly didn't notice his appearance. As soon as he saw the state that he was in, his eyebrows scrunched up together

"Geez, what happened to you?"

Frowning, Ponyboy took a step backward to create more room between the two of them. "It's nothing."

Please just let it go, Ponyboy prayed. Of course, he didn't though.

"You've been crying."

That statement had an instant effect on Ponyboy. As soon as Curly uttered that sentence, he became rigid. The taunts that he heard in school right after he was rejected popped up in his head. Ponyboy clenched his jaw, growling. "I wasn't crying!"

"Well, it looks like you did."

"No! I wasn't crying, you hear? I wasn't! I wasn't—"

Before he could continue, Curly cut him off. "Alright! You're weren't crying," Curly gave up, knowing that something was definitely wrong with the other greaser. Ponyboy, although had his moments, was one of the most down-to-earth people that he had ever met. Usually, his anger spurts were about Darry, but this time was different. "What happened?"

Glaring, Ponyboy huffed, "I told you it's nothing!"

It obviously wasn't. Curly sighed. "Seriously, Curtis. Tell me what's wrong."

"No."

Curly dragged his hands through his hair in irritation. This was a lot more difficult than it seemed. He really wasn't cut out to comfort someone like this—especially someone who is as emotional and stubborn as Ponyboy was.

Suddenly, an idea popped up in his head. If he didn't think that he could help Ponyboy with his words, maybe letting him blow off steam through activities would. It was worth a shot. "Listen," Curly started. "I was heading out to go meet up with some of my friends. Want to come along?"

At first, Ponyboy was going to reject him. Curly was no good to be around. He was trouble. He knew better than to get too involved with a Shepard because it always ended up in a catastrophe. But then he involuntary thought about Archer. There was a pang in his chest, remembering that he wanted to do something to distract him. Curly was a wild teen. He knew that whatever he had in mind was going to be just what he needed to let everything out.

"That would be great actually," Ponyboy agreed, flashing a weak, wry smile.

* * *

Ponyboy didn't know where Curly was leading him, but, soon enough, they were standing outside of a store. Outside of the store, waiting for them, was a group of hoodlum-looking people that were around his age. They were all lounging around, having a smoke. As soon as they saw them, they shot up to their feet, backs hunched forward as they walked over.

"Who's he?" one of them asked, gesturing to Ponyboy with a quick nod in his direction.

"I'm Ponyboy," Pony answered before Curly could. Right when he said his name, their faces lit up in recognition.

"The gay kid!" another resounded. Ponyboy cringed at that, looking down at his feet in shame. He shouldn't feel ashamed of his sexuality because it was normal and a part of who he was, but he couldn't help it. Time after time, he was told that being gay was bad and many people already despised him because of it. They were probably going to make fun of him or maybe even attack him. But to his surprise, that didn't happen. "Are you going to join us?"

Shooting his head up in surprise, Ponyboy looked at the group in front of him with bewilderment. Instead of having disgusted expressions, their faces were calm and accepting, something he missed. He nodded his head feverishly. "Yeah, I am."

"He looked like he needed to get his mind off of something," Curly added, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

A guy who had badly drawn tattoos that were littered across his arm grinned at him. "Well it's a good thing that we're good at doing that," he chuckled, voice deep. He ruffled his dark hair, and for a moment Ponyboy thought that he saw him wink suggestively at him. But that was probably just his brain playing tricks on him.

"What do we have planned?" Ponyboy asked.

"We are going to go into that store," Curly answered, pointing over to the building that they were in front of.

That meant shoplifting. Ponyboy licked his chapped lips, nodding his head. He had shoplifted plenty of times before with the gang. He wasn't some stranger to it. But he couldn't help but feel a mixture of anxiety and adrenaline pump through his veins, almost overwhelming his preexisting sorrow.

They entered the store soon afterward, walking through the aisles. Ponyboy wasn't sure what he was supposed to grab, so he walked over to the cashier in hopes to distract him instead.

"Can I help you?" the employee asked, looking up from his magazine that he had been leafing through.

"Yeah. I was wondering if I could get a pack of cigarettes," Ponyboy responded with as straight of a face as he could muster. He hoped that his eyes weren't still red from all of the crying that he did.

The employee raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you a bit too _young_ to buy cigarettes?"

Mirroring the cashier's facial expression, Pony leaned his hip against the side of the counter. "Aren't you too _careless_ to be working here?" This conversation… It reminded Ponyboy about all of the playful banters that he had with Archer. At the thought of him, his heart clenched painfully. This wasn't working at all. He wanted a distraction from the pain, but helping people shoplift wasn't cutting it. He clenched his teeth, gripping his shirt over where his heart was.

" _Excuse me_?"

Ponyboy snapped his attention back to the employee. "I'm just saying. If your manager saw all of the broken glass that's right outside the entrance, he would be really angry at you. I almost had my feet shredded up because of it. Talk about a lawsuit." It was a lie. There was no glass outside of the store, but he knew that it would make the employee nervous. "If only I had some cigarettes to keep my mouth shut."

Nervousness was exactly what happened. The employee bit his bottom lip, eyes flickering to the window before turning back to Ponyboy. He forced a tense smile onto his face, turning his back to the group of teenagers that were currently stuffing items into their jackets. "Which one would you like?"

"Um… Give me a pack of Camels."

Grumbling, the employee grabbed a pack, about to turn around, when Ponyboy corrected himself. "Actually, never mind. I want Marlboro instead."

He had to keep the employee turned away from everyone for as long as he could. Behind him, some of the people that he was with started to file out of the store, although some still stayed behind to grab more stuff.

"Marlboro…" the employee muttered beneath his breath, as he put the pack back to grab the correct one. He took it off of the rack, again about to turn around.

"Wait," Ponyboy corrected. "One more time… But can I have a pack of Kools instead?"

Annoyed at that point, the employee ripped the pack off of the rack and spun around. But before he could completely do that, Ponyboy pushed the tip jar over the employee's side of the counter. The glass shattered against the floor, the shrilling sound reverberating inside of the quiet store. The cashier cursed up a storm as he bent down to pick up the glass shards so that he wouldn't accidentally step on them.

"Sorry," Ponyboy apologized.

"Be more careful," the cashier warned.

Ponyboy looked behind him as the last of the people that he was with exited the store, carrying so much stuff under their coats that it was obvious that they were shoplifting. He was then glad that he pushed the jar over the counter because the employee would have definitely caught them.

He should get going as well.

"So, for the pack of cigarettes, you owe me—" the cashier started but Ponyboy cut him off.

"Actually, I changed my mind. I don't want it anymore." Even though he did (he was dying for a smoke) he knew that Curly probably wasn't going to wait for him for that long. "I'm sorry about the tip jar."

With that, Ponyboy left the store, finding Curly and his friends waiting for him nearby.

"And he's back!" one of them announced, a huge grin plastered on their face.

"We got such a haul because of you," another said as they revealed everything that they had stollen—spray paint, masks, and bottles of alcohol.

"Spray paint?" Ponyboy asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"We're planning on leaving our mark."

"You like drawing, don't you?" Curly asked and Ponyboy nodded, putting the pieces together. The spray paint was for graffitiing. He had never used spray paint before. It was completely different than drawing, but he could probably manage. "I thought that this would help you… you know… to cope and all."

He wasn't really close to Curly. They hung out a few times and he was known for having an aloof, tuff personality. It was really strange to see this side of him. This was all for him… Curly probably had different plans that day, but he changed them so that he would feel better. "Thank you," Ponyboy uttered gratefully.

The group of them stuffed themselves into a car which one of them had brought. They drove, music blasting from the radio, for a few minutes. Ponyboy zoned out the entire drive, something that was easily noticed by everyone who was loudly joking around. Ponyboy stuck out like a sore thumb.

The car stopped in front of an abandoned building. It towered over them, windows shattered from previous people walking by and throwing rocks at it. They got out of the car, all of the items that they stole were in their arms. Ponyboy gulped.

"Where are we?" he questioned.

"Some abandoned building," Curly replied as if what he had asked was a dumb question. Ponyboy shot him a look. No duh, it was an abandoned building. "There's this spot on the roof that we like to go to."

The roof? Ponyboy looked up as they started to walk towards the entrance. It was really high up…

The inside of the building was just as beat-up as it was on the outside. It was almost creepy with how dark it was. They walked up all of the flights of stairs until they found the door that led to the roof. As soon as it opened, a gust of wind hit Ponyboy, sending chills down his spine. He walked out onto the roof, seeing the entire view of the city which was starting to light up as it was getting closer to nighttime. The view was breathtaking, but he would have appreciated it more if it wasn't so windy and cold out.

The group put everything onto the ground in front of a blank, concrete wall.

"Let's get this party going!" one of them cheered as he opened up a bottle of vodka. He instantly passed it over to Ponyboy who just stared at it. "You need this the most right now."

"I—" Ponyboy was going to reject it. He had tried alcohol before, and it didn't taste good at all.

"Come on! Drink up!"

Oh, man… Hesitantly, Ponyboy lifted the bottle up to his lips, the strong smell of the vodka caused him to scrunch up his nose in disgust. He didn't want to drink, but at the same time, he did. Archer was still fresh in his mind and he would do anything to get him off of it. Two-Bit was always drunk and happy. Maybe he could be happy too if he was as well.

"I don't think that your brothers would want you to drink," Curly pointed out, causing Pony to glare at the other greaser. That confirmed if he was going to drink or not.

Fuck what his brothers thought.

With that, he took a long swig of the vodka straight out of the bottle. The drink burned his throat as he struggled to swallow it down. Cheers erupted around him as people patted his back. More bottles of alcohol opened as they all drank until they were tipsy. It didn't take long for Ponyboy to get to that point—especially with how strong vodka was. A bag of cocaine was placed in front of them, causing Ponyboy to frown. He was getting in way over his head, but, as he watched as it was poured into a line, he knew that he wanted to do it. He wanted to feel happy again and being on drugs might just help him feel alive again.

He shouldn't depend on drugs and alcohol to make him happy. He was definitely going to regret it later. Besides, Archer wouldn't want him to do this… Or did he? He seemed to not care about Ponyboy's wellbeing when he confessed to him. He probably was fine with him dying. Ponyboy bit his lip hard until it started to bleed. The taste of iron mixed with the vodka. Tears were welling up in his eyes again, but he refused to let them fall. He couldn't cry in front of these people. They would make fun of him and he had enough of that.

Why couldn't he forget about Archer? He had stabbed him in the back, but he guessed that it just left behind a gnarly scar that constantly reminded him of the Soc. He took another swig of the vodka, cringing at the taste again.

"Let me have a go," Ponyboy volunteered. The people there looked surprised but handed him the roll of paper anyways.

"Are you sure about this, Curtis?" Curly asked.

Ponyboy gritted his teeth. "Yes. Now, let me do what I want to do without anyone getting in the way."

Before Curly could stop him, he put the roll in front of one of his nostrils, closing the other one with his finger as he bent forward to the line of cocaine. His heart hammered against his chest in nervousness as the wind blew around them. Today wasn't a great day to snort cocaine but he was glad that all of them were surrounding the drug as windbreakers. He counted down in his head before breathing in. The drug stung behind his eyes causing him to reel back. His eyes watered involuntarily. His nose scrunched up, feeling like he was going to sneeze but just couldn't. But that was about it. Other than watery eyes and an urge to sneeze, he felt nothing. Ponyboy then realized that he probably had to wait for the cocaine to kick in. He had hoped that it was going to be pretty instant. Ponyboy sighed in disappointment, taking another drink. This time, it wasn't as bad as his first two sips. It was pretty bearable. He took another swig and relaxed as everyone was getting the drug into their systems.

"Let's get painting!" someone whooped at one point.

Ponyboy got to his feet, wobbling a bit. He didn't know how much time had passed since he had snorted the cocaine, but he guessed that it was long enough for it to start kicking in. Or maybe he was just getting drunk because he had lost count of how many sips he had taken already. It was probably both though. His mind was starting to haze over as his sadness and thoughts of Archer were beginning to become replaced by a giddy, excited feeling that caused him to giggle. It was strange though. Even though he was hit with a wave of happiness, he still felt numb on the inside.

Grabbing a bottle of spray paint, he approached the wall. He wasn't sure what he was going to paint, but he didn't care about that. He just started without a care in the world. Putting his mask on, he raised up his arm and pressed down on the release button. The color red exploded across the wall. He wasn't able to concentrate clearly as he continued painting, the alcohol causing his vision to be slightly skewed, making his work sloppy. Colorful lines upon colorful lines spread across the wall until the bottle he was using ran out of paint.

He backed away from the painting to see the full picture and his breath hitched in his throat. He somehow, through his drunk state, drew a face. It wasn't one that he recognized but it had a disturbing and twisted expression. A line of spray paint covered where the eyes were supposed to be, but he still knew that they were sad.

A whistle behind him caused him to turn around. However, he spun too fast and found his knees crumpling underneath him. A laugh erupted from his lips as he found that him falling was the most hilarious thing ever for some strange reason. He looked up when a hand was outstretched towards him. It was the guy with the tattoos. Ponyboy took it, taking another sip of the vodka.

"That's a nice painting," the guy with tattoo complimented.

Ponyboy smiled from ear to ear. "I think it's supposed to be a monkey," he slurred in a hushed tone.

"Well, whatever it is, it's a masterpiece, obviously." He pulled Ponyboy up to his feet, holding tightly so that he wouldn't fall down again. "My name is Gary."

"It's nice to—" His knees buckled again, but, before he could fall, Gary caught him. The other greaser pulled him closer to his body, wrapping an arm around his waist, cold fingers somehow managing to get under his sweatshirt. Pony shuttered but not in a good way. Gary didn't let go of him and if Ponyboy was in the right state of mind, he would have pushed him off, knowing that something was off about him. But, of course, he wasn't so he let him continue holding onto him.

"You drank too much." The bottle of vodka was snatched out of his hands, causing Ponyboy to whine, trying to grab it back with grabby hands.

"No… Give it back…" Ponyboy pleaded.

Gary shook his head. "Come on, you need to sober up."

"No… I don't want to become sober…" He staggered on his feet, still trying to grab the bottle which Gary held just out of his reach. "I want to stay drunk forever. It feels nice."

"Ponyboy, you're so drunk and you don't know how easy it is for me with you like this."

Ponyboy wasn't sure what he was talking about. The red flags that were supposed to be waving were clouded by a deep haze. "Give it back!"

He jumped, slipping out of Gary's hold. Gary moved away, causing Ponyboy to fall forward, tripping over his feet. The edge of the roof came into view, mere inches away from him. He didn't know that he was so close to the edge. His scratched-up palms slammed against the floor as his head peeked over the ledge. The ground spun beneath him, seeming miles away from him. For what seemed like a long moment, he just looked down to the ground beneath him. He wondered what it was like to fall. Would he feel weightless? Would all of his problems leave him? Would people be glad that he was gone? Probably. His brothers sure would. So would Archer…

He shouldn't be thinking about these things because of Archer. But he just couldn't help it. He was one of the few people that were keeping him going after losing so much. He subconsciously leaned forward more. So much so that one small push or gust of wind would knock him over the ledge. Everything was spinning, making him feel so dizzy that it made his stomach turn. Snow started to gracefully fall around him. If he were to fall, would he be like a snowflake?

A hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him backward away from the ledge. A tattooed arm wrapped around his waist again, warm breath disgustingly brushing against his neck. Ponyboy squirmed in the hold. It wasn't Archer. He only wanted Archer to hold him.

"You shouldn't be by the ledge," Gary whispered into his ear. "Maybe we should just get out of here together. What do you say?"

"No, I'm good," Ponyboy rejected, trying to push away but the hold around him only got tighter.

"Come on… I can make you forget about your problems."

Ponyboy shook his head, feeling faint. "Please, leave me alone."

"I'll treat you real good."

"Stop." He tried to swat him away, but it was futile.

Fortunately, before Gary could make any more moves, Curly stepped between them, forcefully separating them. He had warily watched the two of them ever since Gary approached Ponyboy. Even though he was also drunk, that didn't make him blind to the advancements that the tattooed greaser was trying to make, and he didn't like it one bit.

Curly hardly knew Gary. He just met him a few days ago. In some moments, he was a really tuff but fun person to be around. But sometimes, he just made him question all of that. However, seeing Gary go after Ponyboy in his disoriented, drunk state, confirmed his suspicions.

"We should probably get you back home, Curtis," he interrupted, earning a glare from Gary which he ignored.

"But I don't want to go home," Ponyboy whined.

"No, Curtis. You _need_ to go home." He hoped that he would take the hint, but all Ponyboy did was grumble beneath his breath, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"I can take him home," Gary volunteered but Curly shook his head, narrowing his eyes.

"You don't know where he lives." He just needed to get Ponyboy out of there before he could go after him and teach him a lesson. Reluctantly, Gary nodded and helped Curly bring Ponyboy down back to the car. They drove wildly, weaving around the road. The only person that was sober was Gary but Curly wasn't going to let him drive. So, as a result, they were trusting an intoxicated person to drive them. However, Ponyboy started to feel sick to his stomach from how unstable the driving was. He could feel the bile rise up his throat, threatening to escape his mouth. He was going to throw up. Ponyboy tried his best to hold it in, hugging his stomach like his life depended on it. But, soon enough, he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Pull over," he ordered.

"What? Why?" the driver asked. He didn't want to stop driving.

"I'm going to throw up soon. So, unless you want vomit on your car seats…"

That was enough of a warning for the driver. The guy slammed on his breaks in front of a park, which didn't help Ponyboy's stomach one bit. He stumbled out of the car and instantly let out the throw up that he had been holding in, feeling it burn his throat.

"Gross…" he heard someone say behind him. "He's going to make me sick."

Feeling a bit better after he finished throwing up, Ponyboy looked up, wiping the leftover bile on his chin with his sleeve. He still felt really sick though and wanted to continue throwing up until he felt better. "You know what?" Ponyboy groaned. "I think I'm going to walk back home from here."

"Are you kidding me?" Curly began. "It's snowing and you're drunk."

"It's fine. I think my house is close by anyway." He wasn't really sure where he was, but he tried shooing them away still. They all looked reluctant to be leaving him behind, but the driver just shrugged. He didn't care that much about Ponyboy.

"Whatever. Let's go," the driver said.

The car drove off and Ponyboy stood up, weakly making his way to the swing set. He plopped himself down on it, gently swinging himself back and forth, the cold making his hands red. Slowly, he started to become more aware and the pain started to return. He wished that he snagged more liquor before he exited the car.

But one thing came out of it. He was finally alone. He could have gone back home like he had said he would, but he didn't want to go back because he would rather freeze to death than go back.

Tears welled up in his eyes again. It hurt and all he wanted was the pain to end. He swung up higher, despite his stomach turning in displeasure. Higher and higher he swung. Everything was moving fast around him until he just let go. The swing left him as he jumped off of it, eyes glazed over as the world around him went in slow motion. He felt weightless and free. Ponyboy faced the cloudy sky, watching the snowflakes fall ever so slowly. As he was falling towards the ground, he felt free of everything, but that only lasted for a second.

Before his back hit the ground, warm arms wrapped around him, catching him.

"Shit," he heard a familiar voice curse. "What were you thinking, kid?"

Ponyboy focused his eyes and saw Dally, Steve, Johnny, and Two-Bit looming over him. When did they get here?

* * *

Dally, Steve, Two-Bit, and Johnny walked inside of the Curtis house. School had ended a couple of hours ago and they hung out a bit after that, joining up with Dally along the way, before going over to invite Ponyboy along. He probably wouldn't come along with them since he was always with Archer these days, but they were still going to ask.

Inside of the house, Darry and Soda were talking amongst each other, pointing at a flyer that they couldn't read from where they were standing.

"Hey, where's Ponyboy? Two-Bit asked. At that name, Darry's and Soda's face darkened.

"He's out," Soda answered, rolling his eyes. "He's doing what he wants to do."

"What do you mean by that?" Johnny questioned.

"He means that he's been acting out. First by being gay, then cursing us out and shoving us," Darry replied, growling. The rest of the gang looked at them in shock. Ponyboy did that? That didn't sound like him at all. It didn't make any sense. Ponyboy wouldn't hurt a fly unless he had to. They exchanged looks. Something had to be wrong for him to do that.

"Did he tell you where he went?" Steve asked.

"No, it's not like we care anyways."

Staying and trying to get information out of them was useless. For what they knew, Ponyboy was in trouble. They were just wasting valuable time. The four of them hurriedly left the house, not really sure where to start looking for Ponyboy. It was snowing so they had to hurry because chances were, he was outside. They started to run down the street, hoping to find him as soon as possible. Fortunately, they didn't have to run very far. He was already nearby at a park. They saw his silhouette from far away, swinging on a swing.

"What is doing?" Dally asked but nobody answered him. They ran faster, getting really close. They were about to call out to him, but that's when they saw him jump off of the swing and it didn't seem like he wanted to try to land it. He was falling and they were running as fast as they could towards him.

Suddenly, Steve dove forward, catching Ponyboy into his arms just in time. "Shit, what were you thinking, kid?" he hissed. But when Ponyboy looked at him with unfocused, teary eyes, he definitely knew that something happened to him. He could smell alcohol on his breath, causing his eyes to narrow. "Were you drinking?"

"I wasn't drinking," Ponyboy slurred horribly, not doing a very sufficient job at hiding it. "I'm not drunk."

"He's drunk," Dally declared. It was very obvious to them. But why did he drink? That was a question that they wanted to know.

"What happened?" Johnny asked, crouching down as Ponyboy sat up. He looked out of it; extremely depressed. He was worried about his best friend. What could have happened to him for him to resort to drinking and for him to look like that? But Ponyboy didn't speak up. He pressed his lips tightly together as he gazed off into the distance. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Let's get him somewhere warm first," Two-Bit suggested to which they all agreed. Steve leaned Ponyboy's body against his back, lifting him up. That was the last thing that Ponyboy remembered before he passed out.


	19. What Transpired

Archer felt terrible. No… That was an understatement. Words could not describe what he was feeling. Hurt? Broken? Devastated? Regretful? Maybe. But those words were too weak to be remotely correct. It was never supposed to be this way. Archer was never supposed to fall for Ponyboy Michael Curtis, and Ponyboy was never supposed to fall for him either. They were never meant to both feel broken after parting. Their deal was simple—pretend then leave. Just like that. But he fell hard for the greaser which he never thought was possible. Archer thought he was straight, but Ponyboy made him question that altogether.

He wasn't supposed to like a greaser of a male in that matter. It was against society's standards. He was required to be with a female and that was that. Maybe, if it were accepted, he would have been with Ponyboy. However, it was not. Archer was being selfish. He didn't want to be ridiculed by everybody that he knew. He had seen how Ponyboy was treated and Archer didn't want that to happen to him. His friends would drop him in a second. It seemed like being with Ponyboy meant paying a bunch and he wasn't willing to spend that much even if it didn't make him happy.

At one point, he had promised himself that he would never hurt Ponyboy… but he had broken that, and he felt horrible for it. He could hardly stand looking at Ponyboy while he broke down in tears in front of him; because of him. He almost wished that he had confessed at a later time because of the conversation that he had days prior with his friends. They were the ones who made him break his promise that he had made with himself, and he couldn't help but resent them for it.

* * *

_Flashback…_

" _Hey, how much longer do you think that you're going to drag him along?" one of his friends had asked while their group was pushing each other into a freezing swimming pool._

" _Hm?" Archer hummed, propping his arms out of the pool. His teeth chattered as the strong winds made the experience even more miserable for him. Water dripped out of his soaked hair that fell over his brown eyes. He combed his hair back with his fingers, sort of making it look like he was a greaser himself with how it was. "What are you talking about?"_

" _The greaser, Ponyboy."_

_Archer's eyes slightly narrowed. "What about him?"_

" _You know what I'm talking about. You no longer need him. That crazy bitch, Olivia, is out of the picture."_

_They were technically right. They were "together" for a while now and strategically, he didn't need Ponyboy anymore. However, he still wanted him around. He loved his company and him altogether. Archer didn't want to just throw him away like a dirty rag. It made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it._

" _Why are you hesitating?" another one of his friends brought up, swimming over to them. "Don't tell us that you actually like him."_

_Panicking, Archer laughed although fake. He rolled his eyes. "Me like Ponyboy? No way. I'm not gay."_

_His friends all nodded their heads. "Good," the first one said. "If you were gay, we would have a big problem."_

_Archer swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling hot in the freezing water. "You don't have to worry about that."_

" _I seriously hope not."_

_Suddenly, the friend that swam over started laughing. "I bet you all five bucks that the greaser is actually a fag and has a crush on Archer," he chuckled with a cocky smile on his face._

" _Five bucks? Isn't that a lot for a bet like that?" his first friend asked. "I could spend that money on so many other things."_

" _I mean it's easy money if you win the bet."_

_His friend squinted his eyes. "Yeah, but we all know that the greaser is secretly a faggot."_

" _You never know though."_

_Eventually, his first friend let out a sigh, leaning back. "Okay, fine. You're on."_

_End of Flashback…_

* * *

Archer remembered the time when he was scared that Ponyboy was going to do something stupid to himself. He had been so worried, and later so relieved when his fake boyfriend didn't do anything. But now, Archer was worried again. He knew that Pony relied on him a lot since his brothers had turned their backs on him. Without him, would that mean that he would do something stupid? Would he go off the deep end? He really hoped not.

Arms slithered around his waist as a petite girl pressed her body close to him. Instinctively, he tensed up, pulling her away from him.

"What do you want, Barbra?" he asked, annoyed.

The girl that he met at Ponyboy's track meet huffed, planting her hands on her waist. "What's your issue?" she tutted, gritting her teeth.

Archer raised an eyebrow. "My issue? What's yours?"

"You weren't so opposed to it at the track meet. You seemed to really like me."

Man, what was it with him attracting crazy broads? Barbara was almost as bad as Olivia. He was almost repulsed by her. He glanced over to his friends who were giving him the thumbs up, snickering amongst themselves. It just reminded him of the fact that he was supposed to be with women.

He sighed miserably, realizing that if he didn't go along with her, his friends would think that he was gay because it would be really shocking if he declined someone as pretty as Barbara. He stiffly nodded his head and Barbara gleamed, stepping closer to him. Archer just wanted her to be on the other side of the world.

Archer looked out the door where Ponyboy had fled out of days ago. He prayed that he wouldn't or didn't do something stupid, but he couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen.

* * *

When Ponyboy woke up next, he was greeted with a blazing headache like no other. It felt like a sledgehammer had bashed into his skull. That wasn't even the end of it. On top of the headache, his stomach was twisting and turning, feeling as though he went on a roller coaster on a full stomach. His eyes fluttered open, hissing at the bright light of the room he was in. He massaged his temples with his fingers as he sat up.

Where was he? Well, he knew where he was after looking around. He was in Two-Bit's living room. But he didn't know how he got there. The last thing he remembered, he was going to the roof with Curly and his buddies. He searched his brain for answers, but everything was fuzzy after that.

Ponyboy's stomach turned again, feeling as though he were about to throw up. No, he was definitely going to throw up. Out of his control, he felt vomit rise up his throat and into his mouth. He clamped his lips shut, tasting the contents that he had consumed before. He looked around, turning greener and greener before he saw a trashcan that was placed next to the couch that he was on. He grabbed it, sticking his head over it as he threw up.

A gentle hand touched his back, causing him to flinch while he was still vomiting. "It's okay, it's just me," he heard Johnny whisper. Ponyboy was glad that he spoke so quietly.

Looking up, Ponyboy wiped the leftover vomit off of his chin with his sleeve. His nose scrunched up in disgust as the vomit scent wafted in the air. "Johnny?" Ponyboy groaned. "What happened?"

"We found you drunk outside."

Drunk? Now that he thought about it… there were drinks and drugs involved when he was with Curly. Ponyboy didn't think that he got so intoxicated that he blacked out.

"Oh," was all he could say.

Johnny's eyebrows scrunched up together in worry. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Why'd you do it? What happened?"

Ponyboy pressed his lips together, digging his nails into palms. His stomach turned, as he bent over the trashcan, throwing up once again. At that moment, the front door opened and Two-Bit, Steve, and Dally waltzed inside with a new bottle of aspirin.

A huge, relieved smile washed over Two-Bit's lips as he saw Ponyboy awake. "Hey!" he hollered loudly, causing Ponyboy to wince as his headache got worse.

"Quiet," Johnny whispered, holding a finger up to his lips.

Two-Bit's mouth opened up into an 'O' as he grinned sheepishly. He changed the volume of his voice. "Oh, shoot! Sorry, Pony."

Steve tossed Ponyboy the bottle of aspirins, who caught it gratefully. He poured a few into his hands and swallowed them down. As he was doing so, everyone sat in front of him, watching him intensively. Ponyboy shifted uncomfortably under intense gazes. He knew that he was going to have to explain everything to them, but he didn't want to remember Archer. However, it seemed that everything reminded him of the Soc that had broken his heart.

"So, spill," Dally ordered. "Tell us everything."

Ponyboy felt like crying which seemed like that was all he had been doing these days. He chewed at his cracked lips, looking down at a stain on the carpet like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Johnny was soon next to him, hugging him tightly and Ponyboy leaned into the familiar hold, digging his face into his shoulder.

"It's okay. You can tell us," Johnny coaxed.

"Johnny," Ponyboy whimpered. "It's over."

The gang members that were there were all confused at what he said. It didn't make sense to them.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked but Ponyboy only whimpered in response.

Johnny pulled Ponyboy away from him, examining his face. He had a hunch as to what he was talking about, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure. "Archer?" he tried to clarify. "You're talking about Archer, aren't you?"

Nodding, Ponyboy hugged his knees to his chest, looking smaller and more fragile. Two-Bit sat on the other side of him, rubbing at his back. "He…" Ponyboy started, swallowing the saliva that had been gathering in his mouth. "He started calling me a fag and made fun of me. He told me that he only dated me to prove to his friends that I was gay. They even bet a lot of money on it."

They couldn't believe what they just heard. Well, they could since Archer was still a no-good Soc. However, Ponyboy and him had seemed like they were really infatuated with each other. They were two sides of the same coin after all. They were practically glued to each other.

"They bet money?" Steve scoffed, eyes slightly widening in shock. He had bet money himself on many things in the past, but he couldn't imagine ever betting money on something like that. He crossed his arms and growled.

"That's horrible," Johnny said, worried about other things than the bet. "Why…? How could he even do that?"

Ponyboy shrugged. "I don't know," he replied.

"And that caused you to drink?" Dally asked. "Over a breakup?"

The boy flinched. It sounded ridiculous out loud. Pathetic, even.

"It was his first breakup," Two-Bit tried to reason, although what he said wasn't correct. It wasn't because it was his first breakup. It was a lot more than that. "A lot of people don't know how to deal with their first breakup."

He shook his head. "You don't understand," Ponyboy corrected. "After everything that I've been through, Archer always stuck by me and comforted me. When Darry and Soda rejected me… And with me thinking that you guys wanted nothing to do with me… he was the only person that I had left in my life. He made sure that I didn't give up. And, when _he_ rejected me, it felt like a huge chunk of me went missing."

"You have us though…" Johnny stated. "We're here for you."

"But I didn't believe that at one point." How could he let Archer fuck him up so badly?

Dally clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Man, I really hate that guy," Dally sneered, pulling out a cigarette. He passed one to Ponyboy and lit for him.

Ponyboy put the cigarette to his lips, letting out a relieved sigh as he felt his tension relax. He shook his head disapprovingly. "Don't hate him. He didn't do anything wrong," he defended causing the gang to look at him incredulously. Was Ponyboy seriously trying to defend Archer after everything he did to him?

"What do you mean that he didn't do anything wrong? Of course, he did!"

"I just don't understand why you don't hate him for what he did to you," Steve added, narrowing his eyes. It didn't make any sense.

"I can't hate him," Ponyboy declared. "I don't think that I ever can…"

"And why's that?" Two-Bit asked.

Ponyboy's eyes were gleaming with tears. "Because I love him too much. I can't hate someone that I love. Not even Darry and Soda."

The gang was all perplexed at his response, exchanging looks with each other. Steve eventually sighed, knowing full well that they couldn't argue with him about that. "You're crazy, you know that?" he grumbled.

"I know…"

"But, still, what he did... I can't forgive what he did to you," Dally growled. "I'm going to deal with him."

Snapping his head up, Ponyboy rapidly shook his head to reject his idea. "There's nothing that you can do about it! Just leave him alone!"

Dally glared, grinding his teeth. "Stop defending him!"

"I won't stop! What are you planning on doing? Are you going to beat him up? I don't want him to get hurt."

"He hurt you first!"

"I don't care, just don't touch him!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Dally tapped his feet in irritation. Ponyboy was too stubborn for his own good. "Then what can we do, huh? You can't expect us to just do nothing about it."

"Just…" Ponyboy started, lowering his voice and calming down. "Just be there for me. That's all I want you to do."

They all went silent again after those words. Two-Bit wrapped an arm around Pony's shoulder and brought him in close. "Just don't drink again… okay? Leave that to little-old me, got it?" he said, trying to crack a joke at the end to lighten up the mood.

But Ponyboy stayed silent. He shouldn't drink because, honestly, the terrible hangover made him miserable. However, it succeeded in the way that it numbed him down and made him forget about Archer. He wished that he could drink forever to forget about him, but that was impossible. If he did that, he would be dead within a day.

Ponyboy just wished that everything that happened at school hadn't happened. Eventually, he had to go back, but that only meant facing Archer again. Ponyboy wasn't looking forward to that whatsoever.


	20. Jealously Fighting

The school, although never seemed intimidating before, petrified him. It loomed over Ponyboy like a big bully, sending cold sweat down his spine and temples. He slipped his clammy hands into his jean pockets as students walked by him, some shoving their shoulders into his own, but he paid no attention to them. He was used to being treated like that by now. The loud environment around him became muffled as the individual sounds of his own body—heartbeats and the swallowing of his saliva down his throat—became more than prominent. It was almost too overbearing for him.

He didn't want to go inside the school. Archer was inside of there. Although Ponyboy used to love going to an extent, he dreaded going back because of the Soc. He was ashamed of himself; almost disgusted. The one person that he had trusted the most about his sexuality was repulsed by him, and that really damaged him. Even though he shouldn't be ashamed of being homosexual, he couldn't help but have a little part of him question himself. Was being gay all that bad? Should he also be disgusted with himself? Was there something wrong with him? But, on top of all of that, he was embarrassed beyond belief. He was so embarrassed that it practically traumatized him, gluing him to his spot. Painful memories of all of the Socs making fun of him returned. He didn't want that to happen to him again.

"Are you going to be okay?" Johnny asked from beside him, looking at his friend sympathetically. It couldn't be easy returning after what happened. He couldn't imagine what was going on in his best friend's mind.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine," Ponyboy replied, voice breathy and almost inaudible. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head to disguise himself, lowering his face towards the ground. He let out a shuttering sigh. "Let's get this over with."

The two of them started to make their way inside of the school. Ponyboy took slow steps forward, feet heavy as if he were treading through a pool of water. The amount of stress that he was having at that moment almost caused his knees to give out as he made his way to his locker. Once he was there, he practically shoved his head inside of it in an attempt to hide from the people that were around him. It seemed to work because nobody noticed him.

Man, he wanted to smoke, but the school didn't allow it indoors. He was going to have to wait for the next break period but that was hours away. He just had to deal with the stress and anxiety by himself for now.

Behind him, Ponyboy heard Archer's booming voice and his heart clenched painfully. His stomach dropped. He wished that he wouldn't have to encounter him that day, but it seemed like the odds were against his favor that morning. He pushed his head inside the locker more, grabbing ahold of the edges of it.

' _Please, don't see me,'_ he pleaded to himself. _'Please, don't see me!'_

Unfortunately, he felt someone stare at his back. He didn't need to turn around in order to know who it was. He prayed that Archer would stop so he could escape to his first class, but he never did. Eventually, Ponyboy gave up at hiding, pulling his head out of his locker and looking over his shoulder. Archer was a few feet behind him with that girl, Barbra, wrapped around his waist. There was another pang in Ponyboy's chest as he subconsciously clenched the edge of his locker so tightly that his fingers started to turn white.

 _Seriously?_ Ponyboy gnawed at his bottom lip. He couldn't believe it. It had only been a day since he was rejected, and Archer had already replaced him like he meant nothing. He had thought that a little bit of Archer had liked him even if it wasn't in a romantic way, but he guessed that he truly despised him after all. Was he really that insignificant to him?

The two Socs shouldn't be with each other. At least not yet anyway. Don't get him wrong, Ponyboy wasn't jealous of Barbra. Well, he was in a way but that understandable in his situation. He would have felt a hundred times more jealous, but he just felt hurt instead.

The two of them held eye contact and, for a moment, Ponyboy thought he saw remorse and longing in them. But that couldn't be right. Pony tried his best to keep a straight face that was void of any emotion, but he knew that it was probably unsuccessful since Johnny tugged at his sleeve.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Ponyboy dragged his attention to his friend, nodding his head. He had to stop hanging onto Archer like this. It was only going to continue hurting him. What he needed was to get tough. He needed to repress his emotions and build up walls. Nobody could be trusted but his closest friends. Trusting people and exposing himself only resulted in him being stabbed in the back. He couldn't continue being vulnerable. But shoving all of his emotions into a small jar within him was harder than how it sounded.

' _Block it out,'_ Ponyboy chanted in his head as he closed the locker door. He nearly jumped when a greaser that was covered in tattoos was standing on the other side of it, staring at him with an offsetting grin. Something about him gave Ponyboy an uneasy feeling. His gut was telling him to not trust this guy for whatever reason he was there.

"Hey, there," the tattooed greaser greeted. "It's great to see you again."

Johnny scrunched up his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. "Do you know him?" he asked, but Ponyboy shook his head. He had never seen this guy in his life. He would have remembered someone that had so many tattoos as he had.

"I've never met him," Ponyboy replied.

The tattooed greaser rolled his eyes. "You don't remember me?" he questioned. "After everything that we've been through together on the roof?"

The roof… He knew about his time on the roof with Curly and his friends.

At that moment a fuzzy image of a tattooed teenager flashed in his head. The hazy, creepy smile of the figure sent chills down Ponyboy's spine. He knew this guy.

"Right… You're, um…" Ponyboy couldn't place the guy's name. It was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Gary," the guy finished. That name definitely sounded familiar.

"Gary…" Ponyboy repeated. "What do you need?"

"It's not what _I_ need. It's what _you_ need."

Ponyboy looked at him strangely. "What do you mean by that?"

Gary stepped forward and alarms blared. Instinctively, Ponyboy stepped backward, but the other greaser continued walking towards him. It wasn't long until he bumped straight into Johnny, causing the other boy to let out a startled breath.

"Oh, sorry, Johnny," Ponyboy tried to apologize, giving his friend a thin smile. However, when he looked back forward, Gary was right in front of him, only a few inches away. The younger boy froze in his place, keeping the best blank face that he could to not seem like he was nervous. Gary leaned forward. His breath smelled strongly like tobacco.

"You look like you need something to help you become numb," Gary whispered into his ear. Ponyboy's eyes widened. How could he know that? He was literally just thinking about it. "Do you want more drugs? I can get more for you. You look like you want it."

Ponyboy really did. His fingers twitched against his thighs. "I—" he managed to get out, unable to form a sentence.

"All you have to do is come with me. I'll take you to a place where you could forget everything."

It was a sketchy offer. It had a thousand red flags on it. However, he still felt Archer's eyes on him, and he still struggled to push everything down. He just wanted to become numb of all of his emotions. It was tempting, but he knew that he shouldn't go along with him. What should he do?

* * *

Archer had his eyes glued on Ponyboy the moment that he noticed him. He couldn't take his eyes off of him. This was especially so when he saw a tattooed greaser get too close to him. The tattooed greaser leaned forward and whispered into Pony's ears, and from where he stood, he saw his old, fake boyfriend shiver. Anger bubbled inside of Archer as he clenched his teeth.

What a faker. He thought—no, he knew—that Ponyboy liked him, but here he was with another guy. It didn't sit right with him. That guy shouldn't be with Ponyboy.

What did that creep have that he didn't? Sure, he looked tuff with those tattoos and being really toned and all. He looked intimidating in a way that warned people that he would slit their throat if they rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't think that Ponyboy would be into mischiefs like him. Just seeing them together made him furious. He just wanted to separate them.

When he saw the tattooed greaser creep his hand on Ponyboy's upper arm, he lost it.

Before he had time to process what he was doing, Archer pushed away Barbara who let out a shocked yelp. Everything blurred around him as all he saw was Ponyboy and that tattooed greaser. His vision went red as people hurriedly cleared the way for him, clearly sensing the intimidating aura that was radiating off of him. In seconds he was right next to both of them.

"Get away from him!" he screamed, shoving the tattooed greaser off of Ponyboy. Gary slammed into the lockers before tripping over his own ankle. He crashed onto the tiled floor. Instantly, everybody around them went silent as they all watched the scene that was being made in front of them.

"What the fuck?!" Gary growled after he snapped out of his shocked state. He jumped back onto his feet, glaring knives into the Soc. "Why the hell did you do that?! What's your problem, man?"

Archer let out a low growl. "Don't fucking touch him."

Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at Ponyboy who was stiffly standing there, watching the scene unfold. "Why do you care? It's not like you're his boyfriend or anything."

At that sentence, Archer faltered. Gary was right. He wasn't supposed to care about who Ponyboy was with. He wasn't supposed to have any more connections with him. "Well…" he stammered. "That doesn't mean that you can just do that."

"Well, it seemed like Ponyboy was fine with it. In fact, I think he was _very_ _interested_." Gary smirked when he saw Archer clench his teeth. He was successfully getting under the Soc's skin. "What did you call him? A fag? You hate him, right? You must be in order to call him that. Someone like you has no right to be near him."

"Gary—" Ponyboy started but was cut off.

Archer curled his hands into fists before he raised one in the air. "Screw you!" he bellowed, rage almost completely consuming him.

At that moment, Ponyboy snapped out of it. He stepped in front of Archer before he could punch Gary, pressing his hand firmly onto his chest. "Stop!" he pleaded. "Don't do anything."

"Get out of the way," Archer ordered, but Ponyboy stayed put.

"Please, Archer."

The two stared into each other's eyes until, finally, Archer calmed down. He lowered his fist, taking a step backward.

Gary mockingly chuckled. "Can't even go through with it? You wuss," he challenged.

Something snapped within Archer, and before he knew it, he was lunging at Gary. He brought his fist back, socking the tattooed greaser in the cheek. Gary's head snapped to the side as he stumbled backward a few steps. He huffed, smirking before turning his head back to Archer.

Gary charged at Archer. It all happened so quickly. In one quick moment, Archer was tackled by Gary. His head slammed into the tiled floor, sending bright veins across his vision. A punch impacted with his face, causing him to yell out in pain. His nose throbbed, gushing out blood. Another punch came down at him and through his daze, he managed to move his head away just in time. Gary's fist punched the floor, causing a sickening crack to be heard. The greaser cursed, pulling his fist back and before cradling it.

Taking the opportunity, Archer flipped them over so that he was the one on top. It was like that back and forth between them. They rolled on the ground, trying to get a good hit on the other person. It was like two rabid animals were fighting each other. It looked like they were going to kill each other but for different reasons. Archer because of jealousy and Gary for revenge for being attacked first.

It was getting way too out of hand. Ponyboy had to step in or they probably would end up killing each other. He knew that Gary was most likely going to go that direction when he saw him reach for his back pocket where his switchblade was hiding. Hairs standing on their ends, Ponyboy rushed forward. He hugged Archer, trying to pry him away from the greaser.

"Archer, stop!" he screamed, but it sounded like his own voice was far away. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins as everything became a rush. He continued to try to separate the two, but Archer stayed put. "Please, just stop! Don't fight anymore!"

It wasn't working. Archer didn't react to him. Where was the school faculty when he needed them the most?

Eventually and miraculously, he managed to pry Archer off. The Soc struggled, looking like he was about to punch Ponyboy as well, causing the younger boy to flinch. Noticing the reaction, Archer snapped out of it. Taking a long, deep breath, he dropped his fist.

Behind them, Gary stood up again. He glared daggers at Archer who mirrored the expression. "I'm going to skin you alive," he hissed, taking a step forward.

"Gary, no!" Ponyboy exclaimed. "Just stop."

The tattooed greaser pointed angrily at his nose. "Do you not see what he did to my nose? I'm going to kill him. So, get out of my damn way."

Before Gary could take another step forward, Archer pulled Ponyboy up to his feet, grabbing his wrist tightly. He ran, dragging Ponyboy along with him, who let out a surprised gasp. Archer pushed through the crowd that had gathered around the fight, ignoring the jeers. As they were running, Ponyboy remembered that he was supposed to not be around Archer. He struggled against the tight hold, much to the Soc's annoyance.

The skin where Archer was holding felt hot. It made his heart involuntarily flutter but that only reminded him of his heartbreak.

Push it down. He had to push it all down. He needed to suppress everything. Ponyboy put on a straight face, feeling hollow on the inside—so much so that his chest felt freezing cold.

"Let go of me, Archer," Ponyboy commanded monotonously as he was dragged to the bottom of the very familiar staircase that they've hung out under before. Johnny ran up behind him, having followed the pair after the fight. He stared cautiously at Archer. Ponyboy was glad that he was there. Johnny provided him with a lot of comfort. "You can't just do this anymore."

Archer pressed his cracked lips tightly together. "Why not?" he grumbled, still holding onto Ponyboy.

"Because we aren't together."

The Soc finally let go of him, placing his hands on his hips. He staggered, however, when he saw how blank Pony's eyes were, not used to the expression. "Well…" He swallowed thickly. "He shouldn't be acting like that with you."

Ponyboy raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Touching you and being so close to you." The Soc let out an annoyed growl. "Who is that bastard anyway?"

"Like it matters to you."

"How did you even meet an asshole like him?"

Snorting, Ponyboy leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "How did I even meet an asshole like you, you mean."

Mouth slightly ajar, Archer huffed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're the asshole," Ponyboy challenged. The coldness in his chest was spreading like a spiderweb to his fingertips. They twitched, pressing into his skin. He clenched his jaw. "You know, for what you did… a part of me wishes that I never met you in the first place. My life was pretty great before you entered it."

"Ponyboy…" Archer started but Ponyboy didn't let him finish.

"You once said that you would never let harm come my way, but you're the one who hurt me. You're a big liar and I can't stand liars. So just leave me alone. I can be around who I want to be with."

Archer shook his head, defiantly. At that moment, Gary walked under the staircase, glaring. Archer pointing a finger at him. "But I know that being with that greaser is going to hurt you, so listen to me."

Ponyboy scoffed. "Who gives you the right to choose who I'm with? It's not like we're friends or in a relationship or anything."

"But—"

"I don't want to hear it." His eyes were so blank. They used to be so open and full of emotion, but now there was a wall in the way and Archer couldn't see past it. It wasn't right to see him with that expression and he was the one that had caused it. It was his fault that Ponyboy was acting like this; why he was broken and different. He thought that he was making the right choice when he rejected him, but Archer was beginning to see that he was wrong. He made a huge mistake. It was never supposed to be like this. "Leave me alone. I don't want to see you ever again."

Again, Archer shook his head. His heart hurt as his bottom lip wobbled pitifully. "Don't push me away," he pleaded. "We've talked about this. You're not supposed to push me away."

"Well, you weren't supposed to hurt me."

"Ponyboy…" Johnny cut in. Like Archer, he noticed the blank expression on his face. He also noticed how cold Ponyboy was being. This wasn't like him at all. He was a completely different person than he was when he stepped into the school. "Something's wrong. This isn't you."

Ponyboy didn't respond to him. He only shoved his hand into his pockets, turning his attention to Gary who was seething. "Let's go, Gary," he said. "I'm taking you up on the offer right now."

"What offer?" Archer and Johnny asked together, but Ponyboy, again, didn't respond.

The anger that consumed Gary shifted in an instant. He smirked and wrapped an arm around Ponyboy's shoulder, pulling him away from Archer. "I'm glad that you're coming to your senses."

* * *

Steve walked into the school that morning after finally finding a parking spot. It didn't take long after entering the facility before Curly walked up to him. Usually, he would have an aloof expression on him, but that morning, he looked serious.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"How's he doing?" he questioned. "Curtis, I mean."

Steve narrowed his eyes suspiciously. If he was asking that, did that mean he knew about Ponyboy drinking? "He's fine. Why?"

"He looked pretty broken the other day, so I let him drink some." So, he _did_ have something to do with it.

"So, you _were_ the one who got him drunk." Steve crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't angry at Curly. He had no reason to be. He was more annoyed if anything. "He couldn't even stand."

Curly nodded. "It got out of control, I know. Especially with the drugs."

Steve's eyes widened at the new information. "Drugs?" he repeated. Ponyboy never said that he did drugs. But why would he?

Again, Curly nodded. "That's why I'm talking to you. This one guy... I didn't know him well, but he was there too. He was being really touchy with Curtis. His name was Gary and he was the one who supplied us with the drugs, to begin with. He goes to school here."

"So, you're saying that he has an interest in the kid?"

"Maybe. I just wanted to warn you about him. He gives me an uneasy feeling."

At that moment, Johnny jogged up to them, looking worried. That's when Steve noticed that Ponyboy wasn't with him. "Johnny, where Ponyboy?" he asked. They were supposed to be together.

Johnny looked nervous. He looked over Steve's shoulder, chewing on his underlip. "He just went off with a guy named Gary."

Instantly, Curly and Steve exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing.

"Shit," Steve cursed.


	21. The Poison's Remedy

Steve never really liked Ponyboy Curtis. He had always been a tagalong kid that he could hardly put up with. If it wasn't for the fact that he was Soda's little brother, he would have dropped kicked him a while ago. However, that had changed. Sure, Ponyboy still annoyed him like no other and he always seemed to get himself wrapped up into a lot of avoidable trouble, but he could no longer say that he despised him. Instead, he felt sorry for him and, in a way, protective. Ever since Soda and Darry both turned their backs on him, he involuntarily picked up the brotherly role. It just sort of happened. He wanted the best for Ponyboy, but it seemed as if another obstacle had popped up that they had to get through in order to achieve that goal.

"We need to find him," Steve declared. He just didn't know where to start. Ponyboy could have been anywhere. He was a hundred percent sure that Gary was taking him somewhere and it wasn't Pony's choice. But none of them knew Gary enough to figure out where he was taking him. Heck, Steve had never even met him. They had to rely on Curly to tell them what he knew about the tattooed greaser. "Any ideas where they might go to?"

Curly looked to the side in thought. He tapped his foot against the tile, clenching and unclenching his jaw repeatedly. "Well, he probably already had the drugs, to begin with. From the little time that I've known him, it was clear that he was really impatient. He probably wants to take advantage of Curtis as soon as possible. Which doesn't give us much time to find him," Curly explained. He scratched at a scar on his face. "There's one place that I could think of..."

Out of everything that was just said, one word stuck out to Johnny like a sore thumb.

"Drugs?" Johnny repeated, eyes wide. He knew that Ponyboy was drinking, but he didn't think that he went as far as taking drugs. He had wondered what Gary had been whispering into his ear and now Johnny knew exactly what they were talking about.

"We'll explain along the way," Steve answered. "We should get going."

Johnny nodded his head. "I'm going to ask Archer to help us look for him."

At the Soc's name, Steve growled. Anger bubbled up inside of him. He hated the Soc for what he did to Ponyboy and didn't understand why Johnny wanted him to help. "Why? He's the cause of all of this. Why bring him along?"

"Because he tried to protect Ponyboy from Gary before the two of them walked away with each other." Johnny stayed perfectly calm, even though Steve was looking at him so intensely. "You know… I don't think that the story that Ponyboy told us was entirely true. Well, it might have been true for him… but it just seems like there's another side of the story that he didn't know about."

"Are you saying that Archer lied to Ponyboy?" Steve furrowed his eyebrows. Johnny nodded in reply. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know… but we have to find out from Archer."

The three of them quickly searched through the school for the familiar Soc. It didn't take long to find him, however, seeing how he was in the center of a dense crowd. Some people were asking if he was okay while others were laughing at him for getting himself into a random fight. Very few of them commented on how he just took off with his "ex-boyfriend". Archer was smiling thinly, although it was as clear as day that he was uncomfortable. The three greasers, pushed through the crowd of people until they were right in front of the Soc. Immediately, everybody went silent.

"You're coming with us," Steve ordered.

"Why?" Archer questioned, holding his cheek which was already showing signs of a large bruise developing. He narrowed his eyes at them with distrust, but at least he was talking to them.

"You're the one who caused all of this. So, you're going to be the one to fix this."

"Fix what?" He got defensive, stammering his sentences. "I don't have anything that I need to fix."

"Yeah, he's not going anywhere," Barbara added, pulling on Archer's sleeve. "Let's leave."

But Archer stayed in his spot, clenching his jaw tightly. "Yeah…"

Johnny stepped forward, stomach turning. The longer they waited, the more time Gary had with Ponyboy. They didn't have time to argue. "Ponyboy needs your help," Johnny whined. "Please, Archer. He's out there and—"

Archer clicked his tongue, balling up his hands into fists. "Yeah, well if Ponyboy really wants to be with that Gary guy, then so be it. It's not my problem."

Not being able to take it anymore, Steve grabbed Archer's shirt and slammed him into the lockers. He glowered at him. He really didn't like the guy. Steve didn't understand what Ponyboy saw in him, but there had to be something if he liked him. "You're the one who caused this. So, fix what you did," he growled.

"That fag did it to himself," one of Archer's friends retorted. Steve almost spun around and punched whoever said that. Fortunately, though, Curly was already on it. He socked them, sending them crashing into the crowd that was around them. Curly nodded to him in which Steve sent him back a look of thanks.

"You have no idea what's he's been doing to cope, right?" Steve asked.

Archer almost didn't want to know. He nervously licked his busted lips. "What is he doing?" he murmured.

"He's been blackout drinking and doing drugs. He's going with Gary right now to get more."

Feeling his heart stop, Archer's eyes grew wide. Ponyboy was turning to drugs and alcohol because of him. It just wasn't right. That idiot. He shouldn't be doing that because of him. Why did Ponyboy have to fall for him?

"Gary has some sick plan up his sleeve for him," Curly added. "So, are you going to help him or not?"

What should he do? Should he help Pony or continue in this act that was killing him on the inside? The answer should have been obvious. His nails were digging crescents into his palms. "But," he stared, voice slightly shaking. "He made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with me."

"Archer… Ponyboy still likes you," Johnny said. "We need to hurry, or we may all just lose him forever."

There was no question left in Archer's mind at those words. He nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Ponyboy may have made a mistake. After leaving with Gary, he had somehow made his way back to the graffitied roof with him. He was swinging his legs off of the ledge, looking down at the ground which seemed miles away. Wind combed through his greasy hair, sending shivers down his spine. He resisted the urge to hug himself, opting to dig his fingers into the roof as a way to help prevent him from falling to his demise. It would only take one small push and he would be dead… and, frankly enough, Ponyboy didn't trust Gary. But, yet, he chose to come with him… for drugs.

But it wasn't his fault! Archer just made me so angry. Who was he to determine who he could be with?

However, he couldn't lie to himself. When Archer defended him and fought for him… it really touched him. If only he did that from the very beginning. Maybe he wouldn't be in this mess.

What was he doing with his life?

Suddenly, a hand was placed on his knee, making Pony's blood run cold. He shivered as it felt like a spider was crawling up his leg. He tightly shut his eyes, pursing his lips.

Oh, man… He really shouldn't have gone with Gary.

He shoved the hand off of him, much to Gary's annoyance. He roughly grabbed Pony's wrists, digging his nails painfully into them. Involuntarily, Ponyboy yelped. His eyes watered as he glared at Gary.

"You want the drugs, don't you?" Gary hissed.

Ponyboy scrunched up his nose in anger. He ripped his arm out of Gary's hold. "Then give me the drugs. You don't have to touch me," he growled.

Rolling his eyes, Gary reached into his backpack and pulled out two small, orange pill containers. He held them out for Ponyboy to take, but before the younger boy had the chance to grab them, Gary pulled them away. "Do you honestly believe that I'm just going to give them to you?"

"What do you mean by that?" This couldn't be good. "You said that—"

"I said that I could hook you up with drugs. I didn't say that they were free."

He should have known better. Ponyboy wanted to hit his own head against the wall. How could he be so stupid?

"What do you want?" Ponyboy asked through clenched teeth.

Smirking, Gary pressed the bottles into Ponyboy's hands, much to his confusion. What was he doing? Warily, Pony slipped one of the bottles into his back pocket, eyeing the other male suspiciously. Why was he giving him them before he told him what he wanted? It didn't make any sense. What exactly was Gary planning?

He got the answer soon afterward.

Before he had time to react, Gary's face was inches away from his own. He tried to lean back, but a hand crept behind him, holding him in place. He couldn't move. All he could do was stare at Gary. His heart stopped, breath cutting itself off. Ponyboy was squeezing the bottle that was still in his hands so tightly that it felt like it was going to break under the pressure.

What should he do? What was he supposed to do?

His brain went blank as he was trying to figure out how to get away.

No. This couldn't be happening to him.

He shouldn't have gone with Gary. He was finally going to pay for all of his mistakes, but this seemed like it would be too cruel of a punishment.

' _Archer… Save me_ ,' he pleaded, although he didn't know why. Archer wasn't going to help him. He didn't even like him. He was doomed. Gary was so close to him now.

"Get away from him!" someone screamed from far away, causing Gary to freeze in his place. Ponyboy's heart started to pound against his chest again. He knew that voice.

"Archer!" Ponyboy screamed, hope flooding him. He actually came!

* * *

When Archer, Johnny, Steve, and Curly ran up to the roof, they were expecting to see many things. They had already expected the worse before leaving the school. They burst open the roof door, winded from running up the many flights of stairs. They looked around frantically for Ponyboy and Gary. At first, they thought that the location was wrong, seeing how it didn't seem like anybody was there, but then they saw two figures at the edge, almost just outside of their vision.

The two of them were close together, merely inches, if not centimeters, apart. Ponyboy was leaning a bit back, clearly trying to get away from the other. He looked so scared that it seemed like he was going to shit himself. As soon as they saw the two of them, anger skyrocketed inside of the four. They were going to murder Gary. Even Johnny wanted to do something to him.

"Get away from him!" Archer screamed, charging at the duo.

Ponyboy's head snapped towards him, eyes blown wide. "Archer!" he exclaimed.

Archer got to him in seconds flat. He grabbed Ponyboy, successfully ripping him away from the other greaser and the edge of the roof. He ignored the curses that left Gary's mouth as he started to drag the younger teen away, pushing him against the graffitied wall. He pinned his hands by his head, eyes stern. Out of his control, Ponyboy's heart hammered against his chest as butterflies fluttered in his stomach. His breath hitched and he couldn't understand why.

Why? After everything that Archer did to him, why did he still feel like this when he was nearby? He shouldn't be feeling like this. Especially since Archer didn't like him back and was dating someone else.

"What the hell do you think that you're doing?!" Archer bellowed so loudly that Ponyboy almost couldn't understand him.

He kept up a straight face, although it was hard for him to do so. As morbid as it was, he yearned for that icy, numbing feeling in his chest again. He didn't want to continue falling for the Soc. Why couldn't his heart see that he only brought him pain? He was glad and grateful that Archer had saved him, but he knew that after this, he wouldn't even speak to him.

"Leave me alone," Ponyboy mumbled, remembering the bottle that was still in his hand. He just had to take them, and he would feel alright again. One pill would take away the pain. He gripped the bottle tightly, hoping that Archer wouldn't notice the movement at all, but he did. Growling, Archer pried open his hand with his own, much to Ponyboy's dismay. He grabbed the pill bottle and brandished it in front of him as he looked at the contents inside of it.

"Opioids?" Archer hissed, glaring daggers at him. "Ponyboy, what the _hell_ were you thinking?! These could easily kill you!"

Ponyboy almost snorted at that. "It's not like you care anyway."

Archer shook his head, defeated. He swallowed down his saliva to relieve his dry throat. "You're so wrong…" He had caused this. He was the reason why Ponyboy had turned to drugs and started to spiral out of control. He did it, so he had to fix it.

"Am I really though?"

Ponyboy was waiting for him to answer him, however, Archer kept his mouth shut. He wanted to shout his feelings out to the whole world, but he was terrified of doing so. He was a chicken and other people were paying the price for it. If only he weren't so scared. Archer sighed, shaking the bottle. "You're not taking any of this. I'm getting rid of it."

Gaping, Ponyboy whined, struggling against Archer's hold. The drug was his outlet. He didn't want it to be taken away from him. He _needed_ it. "Give that back! That's mine!"

"Not a chance, Roadrunner."

In an instant, Ponyboy froze. That nickname... Archer still called him that? After all of this?

He couldn't help the blush that colored his cheeks as Archer leaned forward, breath brushing past his nose. Ponyboy took a deep breath, smelling the mint of his toothpaste. His legs felt weak, barely holding himself up. If Archer wasn't holding onto him, he was sure that he would have already fallen down.

He should have been repulsed by Archer, but he was only falling for him more. Why?

Archer finally let go of him and Ponyboy felt his legs give out. He collapsed to the floor, feeling dizzy. His vision swayed, going back and forth between focused and unfocused. He breathed heavily as he tried to calm down his racing heart. He just wanted it to be normal around him. He weakly watched as Archer tossed the pill bottle off of the roof, letting out a quiet whine.

Suddenly, Gary was right behind Archer. He pulled out his switchblade and pressed it against Archer's jugular. "That was expensive. Are you going to pay for that with your life?" he growled. Archer gulped, feeling a trickle of blood fall down his throat.

But that was about it. While Gary was distracted with Archer, Curly and Steve managed to sneak up behind him. Curly raised am empty, glass bottle that he had found over his head, eyes cold. He swung it down, shattering it on top of Gary's head, causing him to go rigid. And, in that instant, Steve tore the armed hand away from Archer who let out a big gasp of air in relief. He cradled his cut on his neck, wincing slightly.

"It's about time you guys stepped in. What took you?" Archer breathed out, shaking a bit from the adrenaline. He watched as Curly and Steve both grabbed Gary's arms who looked dazed from the impact, but not knocked out.

"You're lucky that we even saved you at all," Steve retorted, turning his attention back to Gary. "You're coming with us."

The two greasers started to drag Gary away until he was out of their vision ranges. As Ponyboy turned back to Archer, he could have sworn he heard some muffled screams coming from the direction that Steve and Curly walked off to, but that didn't really matter to him. What mattered most was the Soc that was standing in front of him.

Both of them didn't know what they were going to say to each other. What else was there to say?

Luckily, Johnny stepped up. His eyebrows were knitted together in worry. "Ponyboy…" he started. "Why are you taking drugs? None of this is like you at all."

But Ponyboy couldn't answer that question. He didn't know why either. It was like he had lost himself altogether. He looked down at his hands, ashamed of himself. He knew that he was going down the wrong path, but he just didn't know why he continued down it and getting himself more lost than he already was. He let out a long sigh, biting his bottom lip.

"Look at me, Ponyboy," Johnny ordered in a strict tone that he wasn't used to hearing too often. He almost never speaks with that type of tone. Ponyboy must have really gone off the cliff. He looked up at Johnny who knelt down beside him. "What happened to the sunset and book-loving greaser who always had his head in the clouds?"

"I… I don't know," Ponyboy mumbled so quietly that Johnny almost didn't hear him.

"You do know."

Ponyboy shook his head. "That part of me got lost when Archer came into my life."

Wrong. Ponyboy was so wrong. Why couldn't he see that? "No, you didn't. You didn't get lost when you met Archer. You were given a map."

Looking at Johnny quizzically, Ponyboy tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

"Both of you added to each other. What one trait a person had, the other didn't. Being with him filled those empty traits and made you more complete. What changed you was the drugs. Instead of allowing yourself to heal, you decided to skip on the pain and let drugs and alcohol do the work for you."

"But at least it did something."

Johnny sighed. "You're not getting the point. Ponyboy, you're worrying everyone. You may think that you're preventing pain, but you're only hurting everyone else instead."

Ponyboy shut his mouth, feeling his throat close up. If he felt terrible before, he sure felt awful now.

Both Steve and Curly returned at that moment. Gary was no longer with them.

"We took care of him. He won't be bothering you ever again," Curly explained after noticing Ponyboy looking for Gary. Nobody had any complaints about that.

"Good…" Ponyboy mumbled. He was relieved that Gary wouldn't try anything on him again.

"But, kid, back to what Johnny was saying. Drugs mess you up. Don't do them," Steve commented.

"It really does," Curly added, crossing his arms. However, Ponyboy didn't want to just let go of the drugs. He didn't think that he was able to heal by himself. He wasn't strong enough. The drugs were another option for him that seemed a hundred times easier. "I've done some really shitty things while being drugged up."

"But I've seen you guys do drugs," he challenged. "You do it all the time."

"But that doesn't mean you have to do it," Steve shot back. "Stop trying to act tough and be yourself."

He didn't want to be himself though. That self was the one everybody hated; the one that Archer was disgusted about. He picked at his jeans, looking back down. However, that didn't last long at all. Archer grabbed his chin and forced him to look him straight in the eyes.

"Ponyboy, promise that you won't take any more drugs?" he asked, hoping that Ponyboy would agree. But the younger male kept his mouth shut. Why does he have to be so stubborn? Archer held a stern look to show how serious he was. "Promise me, Ponyboy."

For a while, they just stared at each other until Ponyboy couldn't take it any longer. He briefly nodded his head. "I promise," he reluctantly declared.

Satisfied with that answer, Archer let go of his chin. "Don't go breaking that promise, you hear? Don't lie to me and I won't lie to you."

However, even though Archer said that, he knew that he was probably going to be lying for quite a while more, much to his dismay.

"We should get back," Curly stated, looking up at the sky which had clouded over. "I don't want to get rained on."

"Yeah," Archer agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

As soon as Ponyboy returned home, he instantly went to the bathroom, pulling out the extra bottle of opioids that he had hidden in his back pocket. He was glad that nobody thought anything of it even though there was an obvious pill bottle sticking out for them to see. He turned the bottle around in his hand, eyes glazing over.

These could easily kill him if he didn't watch himself. He wasn't sure how many he was supposed to take but he knew that opioids were supposed to be really strong.

_You're a burden._

_You always get yourself into trouble._

_Nobody loves you._

_You're going to be alone forever._

Those sentences were loudly screaming in his head and all he wanted to do was silence them forever. There was one thing that he could think of that would both end his pain and silence those voices, and that was the opioids.

He could end it all right then and there. There would be no more pain.

Slowly, Ponyboy dumped the contents of the bottle into his hand. He stared long and hard at them, not moving an inch.

All he had to do was swallow them down.

_Just do it!_

_Do it!_

_DO IT!_

' _Don't lie to me.'_

When he heard Archer's voice in his head, he snapped out of it, eyes growing wide. There was something wrong with him. Why was he like this? He was seriously messed up. He didn't want to die.

Ponyboy shook his head. He couldn't take the pills. He promised he wouldn't and the last thing that he wanted to do was lie.

Christ, what was wrong with him? He used to not have these impulses at all and now it's all he could think about. It was because he was gay, he was sure of it. Maybe Soda and Darry were right. What if being gay was seriously wrong? He had thought that it was a way of life that he had no control over… but he wished that he could have been "normal" again. He wanted everything to go back to how they were before.

He needed everything to go back to normal and he first had to get rid of the drug.

Taking a deep breath and counting down, he dumped the pills in the toilet, flushing them down. To think that they were going to go into his body.

Sighing, Ponyboy exiting the bathroom. He wished that he could just erase anything about himself. He stopped when heard Soda and Darry mutter to each other in the kitchen. Great. Exactly what he needed. Maybe he could escape to his room without them throwing slurs at him. He started to tiptoe to his bedroom, making sure that they wouldn't hear him.

"Ponyboy, come here," he heard Darry call out suddenly.

Damn it.

Ponyboy entered the kitchen, feeling tense. "What is it?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Darry placed down a flyer in front of Ponyboy who tentatively picked it up. His eyes scanned the paper.

"Correctional therapy…" Pony read out loud before realization of what that flyer meant hit him. They wanted to send him. He snapped his head up. But it couldn't be true, right? "What's the meaning of this?"

"Soda and I had been talking about sending you to be… corrected… for quite some time now. I don't care about how much money we are going to have to pay for this. You're messed up. You need to become better."

Darry was right, he was messed up and it all stemmed from him being gay. There was something wrong with him and he needed to get that fixed. Ponyboy pursed his lip, shoving his clammy hands under his armpits. He wanted things to go back to normal and if this would help, he wanted to do it. And that was the only reason he said, "Okay, I'll go."

He wanted to make up for his mistakes, but he didn't know that he was walking right into another one.


	22. Institution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conversion therapy scenes are inspired by Riverdale. I also researched it and am trying my best to make it accurate in here because I can't really trust the writing of Riverdale. Although I won't get it exactly right because there wasn't much about conversion therapy, I tried my best. Also, by no means is being gay a mental illness.

Remember the time when Ponyboy said that he wanted to stop making mistakes? Well, he made a huge one. It was only when he was standing in front of the hospital that he would be going through conversion therapy at, did he regret his decision. He wanted to make things right again, but at what cost? His identity and sanity? If only he could just delete factors of himself without going through the useless torture that this hospital was going to put him through.

With clammy hands shoved into his pockets, Ponyboy gulped when he was completely checked in as a patient. New clothes were handed to him as he was told to get changed into them and to hand over all of his possessions that were on him, which wasn't much. He only brought the clothes that he was wearing that day.

"Welcome to St. Louis Hospital," the lady who checked him in introduced after he changed into his new clothes. "I hope that when you leave here, you will become a new man."

He was led out by another employee, not even bothering to say goodbye to his brothers. They didn't want to talk to him anyway until he was "cured" of this "mental illness". The employee led him through a labyrinth of hallways that were within the undecorated, bland hospital. While Ponyboy was following him, he took a look around the place. He was going to spend weeks or maybe even months there, probably. He might as well get to know the place better from the get-go. Besides the rundown facility, there were a few males that were walking around, all wearing the same clothes that he was wearing—a blue polo shirt, slacks, and a cardigan. They all wore slippers as well. Ponyboy was too. He didn't understand why they couldn't wear shoes. Maybe it was to keep the floor clean because it didn't seem like a janitor came by every day. Or maybe it was to help prevent people from running away since it's hard to even walk outside with bare feet.

Ponyboy held eye contact with many of the other male patients, seeing how lifeless their eyes were. They were practically void of everything. It was as if life had been sucked right out of them. They were gaunt—skinny and pale as if they did not receive to correct nourishments for survival. Skin clung to their bones, making them look much older than what they actually were. Ponyboy could tell that many of them were around his age, if not a few years older. They looked dead; stripped of everything that made them individuals.

That's when it hit Ponyboy. They were all just like him: gay. They had all received the same types of treatments. Was he going to turn into them? Was life going to leave his eyes as well? How long have they been here? How long will it take for Ponyboy to mirror them? He didn't want that to happen to him. He still wanted to stay himself.

The employee led him to a room, which was somehow plainer than the hallways. It only had a bed and a dirty toilet on the other side of the wall. Ponyboy could bet everything that he had that the mattress was a brick and covered in bedbugs. There was a small window as well, too high for him to look out of and too small for him to fit his head through. That was the only source of light, which wasn't much at all since his window wasn't even in the direction of the sun.

This entire place was more like a prison than it was a hospital.

"This is your room," the employee explained. "We will come and get you when it is time for any sessions, mealtime, or free time. When out, there is no conversing with other patients," the employee instructed.

Ponyboy looked at him in shock, jaw slightly ajar. "No talking?" he asked. Even though he was, to the most part, an introverted person, not speaking to anybody for however long he was going to be there seemed like torture in itself. What was he supposed to do besides stare at a wall?

"It's to prevent the mental illness from getting worse."

That wasn't how it worked but Ponyboy wasn't going to argue about it. He didn't want to get off on the wrong foot on day one. "Okay…"

"It will be time to go and eat and to go to the first session soon. Until then, get yourself accustomed to your new home."

With that, the door was shut, leaving Ponyboy alone in the dim room. He sat down on his bed, the scratchy blanket already irritating his hands. He bounced himself slightly on the bed, frowning. He was right. It was a brick. With a sigh, he leaned back against the wall, shutting his eyes. He had only been there for a few minutes and he was already missing so much. He wondered if Archer would even notice him gone. But he couldn't think about him.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

It felt like hours until the door to his room was opened again.

"Time for dinner," an employee said. "Get out and head to the cafeteria."

Without a word, Ponyboy stood up and let the employee lead him to the cafeteria where he was able to see how many patients were in the hospital with him for the first time. There weren't too many people. Maybe twenty at most. He didn't count them. They didn't even glance at him when he entered the cafeteria. But why would they? They were all silently eating, not taking their eyes off of their trays.

Ponyboy grabbed his own tray, letting the cafeteria workers slap some food onto it before he sat down at an empty spot. At first, he played with his food, moving his fork around in it for a short while. He awkwardly stared at the other people around him before finally giving in to his hunger. He brought up a forkful of food, scooping it into his mouth. As soon as it touched his tongue, he almost spat it out at how dry it was.

Christ! How could anybody eat this? He wasn't a picky eater, but this was inedible! The food made his mouth feel like a desert!

He glanced at the person in front of him, feeling the urge to talk to him and get some weight off of his shoulders. Ponyboy knew that he wasn't supposed to talk to anybody but what could they honestly do to him for asking a simple question? He glanced around the room, examining every employee. Nobody was facing him. It seemed like the perfect setup for him to talk.

"Hey," he whispered to the person across from him, who hardly gave him even a glance. "What's it like here?"

"There's no talking," the person only murmured before going back to his food.

But Ponyboy wasn't finished yet. "But why? It's not like—"

"You're going to get us in trouble. Please, stop talking to me."

"What are they going to do if they catch us talking?"

The guy opened his mouth again but was stopped when an employee walked over. He instantly went pale, going rigid in his seat. "No speaking to other patients. You both know the rules. Mr. Curtis, since you are new here, I'm going to let you off with a warning. But, for you," the employee said, turning to the person in front of Ponyboy, "come with me."

"But I—" the person stammered, eyes wide.

" _Come with me_."

Defeatedly, the patient stood up, leaving his food on the table, and followed the employee out of the cafeteria. Ponyboy didn't see him again for a while after that.

After everyone ate, the employees led them to a theater room. One by one, each patient was given a small dixie cup with a pill inside of it. Ponyboy looked at it suspiciously. Why were they giving him drugs? Something was off. He was trying to escape drugs, not take them. He watched as everyone else nervously took the medication. If they were taking it, it was alright, right? Following everybody's example, Ponyboy swallowed down the pill and sat down in front of the projection screen. He wondered what they were going to show them. It didn't take long until he started to feel funny, but he passed it off as nervousness. Although there was nothing to be nervous about yet.

Many minutes had passed before the lights were shut off. The room was lit up by the projection. It was just a movie, Ponyboy tried to reassure himself. He liked movies. As soon as the movie started showing, he knew that he was so wrong. A blush instantly bloomed across his face as he looked down, but the sounds were still so loud. On the screen was explicit gay porn, which seemed counterintuitive with the room of gay men. What were they trying to accomplish anyway? How did they even get ahold of gay porn when homosexuality was a crime, to begin with? Man, the gang would laugh at this "treatment" if he told them about it. But, right now, Ponyboy wanted to throw up.

No. He actually wanted to throw up! Not even metaphorically.

His stomach clenched painfully, turning nauseatingly. He hugged his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut. Something was wrong. What was happening to him?

From right next to him, the guy gagged, and Pony could hear him throw up, but, strangely enough, he swallowed it down before it could exit his mouth. He saw many other people do the same, some even fully throwing up on the floor. Ponyboy wanted to throw up just from that alone.

That's when Ponyboy felt it. He felt vomit shoot up his throat, pooling in his mouth. He gagged on the terrible taste, ready to throw the bile out, when an employee walked over, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Swallow it down," they commanded. Ponyboy shook his head. He couldn't do that! And, besides, other people threw up on the floor! "Do it or you will be punished."

Ponyboy didn't want to find out what they meant by being punished. Eventually, through a lot of struggling, Ponyboy managed to get it all down, feeling gross. He continued to watch the movie, again feeling the vomit rise up his throat. The scene wasn't even explicit this time! What the hell was going on?!

The pill. It had to be the pill if everyone who took it was throwing up.

Ponyboy knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to make them feel sick whenever they thought of two gay men together.

Ponyboy swallowed down the throw up again, wanting to cry. He couldn't take it. His breath stunk, his stomach hurt, his throat burned, and the taste in his mouth was so unbelievably bad that he just wanted to wash it out with soap.

Still, he kept swallowing it down, even though it was one of the most difficult things that he had ever done. If this wasn't being "punished" he didn't want to know what was.

He somehow managed to get through it until the end. The drug didn't last that long, but it was effective. All Ponyboy wanted to do was to run to the toilet and throw everything up. However, the movie was changed out for another one. He begged that they wouldn't give him any more of that drug.

Instead of a homosexual movie, they played straight porn. Again, he felt heat rise to his cheeks, although he wasn't interested in it whatsoever. He just couldn't help it. He was only fourteen. Was he allowed to watch this at his age?

But, on the bright side, at least he wasn't throwing up anymore. They didn't drug him up for this part, which Ponyboy knew had a purpose. He tried his best to tune everything out. However, the moans of the two people carved into his brain still.

It was day one and it was already torture.

How long was he going to go through this?

* * *

Ponyboy went to bed crying that night. If this was an everyday occurrence, he just couldn't do it. No wonder all of the patients looked dead. This was torture and all Ponyboy wanted to do was go home. He missed everyone. He missed the gang. He missed Archer. He even missed his brothers. Tears streamed down his cheek, wetting the pillow beneath him. This was a mistake. Why does he have to keep making mistakes?

He was weak. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours yet and he was already bawling like a baby. Man, he hated his life. Why couldn't he have been straight like everyone else? He was so happy with his life before Archer came into the picture, messing everything up. But… he was still happy with the time that he had spent with his ex-fake boyfriend. For months, Archer made him feel so euphoric.

God, he missed Archer so much. He missed his loving touch, his cocky smile, his everchanging scent, and their playful banter. If Archer was here, would he comfort him?

Ponyboy dug his head into the pillow. No, he probably wouldn't. He only comforted him so he could continue using him. But that didn't explain all of the times that Archer looked out for him after rejecting him. Archer made him so confused.

Exhaustion finally hit Ponyboy like a bulldozer. He slipped into unconsciousness with a trail of tears down his cheek and a foul taste of vomit still on his tongue.

It wasn't long before he was woken up. Although, he wished that he hadn't woken up at all because what was about to happen to him was a lot worse than the vomiting. When he woke up again, masked figures were looming over him. Instinctively, Ponyboy jolted, trying to sit up but he quickly found out that he couldn't. His limbs were tightly tied down to the bed by belts. He struggled against them, but they didn't loosen up even the slightest bit. He suddenly felt claustrophobic.

"What—" he started, trying to get out a sentence. However, he was unable to comprehend what was happening. The doctor and nurses seemed to ignore him as they brought a terrifying-looking machine into the room. What were they planning on doing to him? What even was that?

He figured out the answer to that when one of the nurses placed a leather belt into his mouth while another put something around his head. Something cold touched both of his temples and a sickening thought flashed into his mind.

Electrocution.

As if a switch was turned on, Ponyboy kicked widely, twisting in the bed like a worm in an attempt to slither out of his restraints. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. They were planning on electrocuting him!

He needed to get out! He had to get out!

He was going to die here!

"Now, Mr. Curtis," the doctor said, not even worried about Ponyboy struggling so much, "I'm going to show you a video. If we find that you have any interest in it, then the punishment will start."

This was the same as the vomiting, but more painful. He breathed hard, knowing that he couldn't escape his fate. This was it. This was what was going to break him. He didn't want to be like the other patients, but it seemed like his resolve was going to break on day one.

A screen was placed in front of him. He was barely able to see it from where he was lying down. Again, homosexual porn was played on the screen. Ponyboy shut his eyes, trying his best to block out the sounds, but he couldn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks. The innocence that came with his age was going to be the death of him.

All of a sudden, a blinding pain washed over Ponyboy. His eyes went wide, vision turning white, as his body went rigid. He clamped down hard on the leather belt that was in his mouth that muffled his screams. His back stiffly arched against his will.

It hurt! It hurt! It hurt!

It felt like he was tossed into lava with a thousand needs being pressed repeatedly into his skin. His muscles contracted, making it feel like his own body was trying to crush him into nothing. The corners of his vision started to go dark, and, before he could fall into unconsciousness, the pain stopped.

He slumped on the bed, disoriented and was breathing hard. The movie resumed, but he could hardly focus on it. Although the shocks had stopped, he could still feel the tingle.

At one point, the doctor noticed that he wasn't focusing on the film and shocked him again. A scream exited his mouth, body convulsing again. It was a wonder how he didn't have a seizure—it sure felt like he was going through one.

But that was about it before everything suddenly went black.

* * *

A few days had passed since Archer had seen Ponyboy last, and he started to fear for the worse. It wasn't like him to skip so much school. And after the incident on the roof… he had the right to be worried.

A week passed by and there was still no Ponyboy. Something had to be up. At least he had the solace that he wasn't dead because the whole school would be talking about it, and he still saw Pony's friends around and they looked fine.

But it would make him feel better if he knew that he was alright.

He walked around the school after freeing himself from his friends. Eventually, he saw Johnny, Two-Bit, and Steve standing together. Two-Bit was the first to see him, holding eye contact with him. Archer jerked his head to indicate that he wanted to talk to them somewhere in private and he was glad that Two-Bit understood the gesture. The greaser spoke to Steve and Johnny for a second before all of them started walking towards him.

"So, what's up?" Two-Bit asked when Archer led them to the empty boys' restroom.

Archer hummed, thinking about different ways to go about asking what he wanted to ask. He settled on saying, "Do you know where Ponyboy is? I haven't seen him in a while."

At his question, the three of them look at him funnily after exchanging looks with each other. That's when Steve said something that Archer was fearing. "What are you talking about? Wasn't he with you?" Steve asked.

"No… Why would he be with me?"

"Well, he hasn't been at home at all, so we just assumed…" Johnny explained, panic starting to form on his face. If Ponyboy wasn't with Archer and he wasn't at home, where was he? "He was always with you when you were dating him."

"Well, he's not." Crap… Ponyboy might have been hurt somewhere (or even dead, but Archer didn't want to think of that as a possibility). "Do you think that his brothers would know where he is?"

"I doubt it," Steve answered, crossing his arms. "They don't care a rat's ass about him."

"But Ponyboy couldn't have just disappeared," Two-Bit reasoned, a serious expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed sharply as he chewed on his inner cheek.

"I think that we need to talk to Darry and Soda," Archer suggested. "I… We… really need some answers."

"I agree."

"Yeah, me too," Steve added.

"We need to talk to Dally first though," Johnny brought up causing the rest of them to look at him in confusion.

"Why Dally?" Two-Bit asked. He just seemed like he would blow up on Darry and Soda right now.

"Because he always gets what he wants. If he wants answers, he'll get answers."

Archer nodded in agreement. Dally scared him shitless but if he could get the information about Ponyboy's whereabouts, he was all in. "Let's do that. I'll meet you all after school ends."

They all agreed, dispersing from the boys' restroom. It felt like decades before school ended. When the final bell rang, Archer was the first person out of the classroom. He got up so quickly that he almost forgot his backpack. He would have forgotten it if his teacher hadn't stopped him, telling him to slow down. But he just couldn't do that. Every second counted.

He tapped his foot impatiently outside of the school, waiting for Steve, Johnny, and Two-Bit to get out as well. When he finally saw them, they quickly made driving plans before they were off.

They made it to the Curtis house in record time after finding Dally and explaining to him what was going on. They barged into the house, seeing that Soda was just about to leave for his shift and Darry had the day off. The two brothers instantly zeroed in on Archer, being the oddball of the bunch, but before they could tell him off, the Soc was already in front of them.

"Where's Ponyboy?" he demanded, snarling.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Darry growled back, balling his hands into fists. His muscled bulged and Archer knew that he had to tread around the two carefully so that he wouldn't get hurt.

"Don't give me that bullshit! You know exactly where he is! So, _where is he_?"

Soda frowned. "Why should we tell you?" he asked.

So, they _did_ know something about Pony's disappearance.

"Because if you don't tell me where he is, I'm going to—"

"You're going to do what? Are you going to fight us? We're one moment away from pulverizing you, and I doubt that Ponyboy would want you to fight with us."

Archer opened his mouth before closing it, grinding his teeth. They were right. He couldn't do anything to them and that pissed him off even more. He was seething when Dally pulled him away from the two brothers, deciding to step up right then and there.

He stood inches away from Darry, disregarding Soda who took a step back. He jabbed his finger into Darry's chest, glaring daggers at him. "Where is he, man?" he barked.

"You asking the question isn't going to make me tell you," Darry retorted.

"Yeah!" Soda backed up, crossing his arms.

Dally huffed, smirking although irritated. "I'll tell you what," he started, grabbing ahold of Darry's shirt. "You tell me where the fuck Ponyboy is or I'm going to make your life a living hell, you dig?"

"Try me," Darry hissed.

Knowing that the two of them were going to start fighting, Steve stepped up. "Soda, tell us where he is now. If you're my friend, you would tell us," he pleaded.

That seemed to catch Soda off guard. He snapped his head to his best friend, eyes softening. At that moment, Steve saw the friend that he grew up with. His arms dropped as he looked at Steve in confusion. "But, why? Why would you be worried about him?" he asked.

"Because he's still Ponyboy. You know, your little brother? He's everyone's kid brother. We care about him and we just want to make sure that he's alright. So, if you really value our friendship, tell us where he is."

Soda paused for a moment before finally nodded, although reluctantly. He didn't want to tell them because he knew that they would go and try to rescue him, and he wanted his little brother back to how he was before. But Steve was worried, and he was his best friend. He knew that he had to do some stuff that he didn't like for him.

"He's…" Soda started, swallowing thickly. "He's in a place where you can't get to him."

"What do you mean?" Steve questioned. Finally, they were getting an answer.

"He's going through conversation therapy right now."

That caused Archer to grow rigid. He knew quite a bit about conversion therapy from the articles that had read about it. None of them had anything good about them. They were always labeled as inhumane. And if Ponyboy was going through that… Archer shook his head. Just thinking about it made him sick.

"Conversion therapy?" Archer coughed, heart stopping.

"What the fuck…" Steve murmured, shaking his head.

"Ponyboy…" Johnny whispered.

"Why?" Two-Bit mumbled, unable to comprehend the new information that he was just told.

Dally slammed Darry backward, using all of his might to cause the other to stumble. "Why the fuck would you send him there?" Dally growled, just itching to sock Darry.

Darry looked at him coldly and blankly. "He needed to get better," he simply replied.

"He's gay! Why can't you just accept that? It's not some mental disease!"

"It is! He needs to change how he thinks!"

"He's your brother!" Archer screamed, holding himself back from rushing over to Darry. "Do you know what goes on in there?"

"Good work if they are making him better."

Unbelievable… How could Ponyboy live with his brothers? "Not better. They are torturing him!"

"If that's what it takes."

"You're a terrible person! You should be the one who gets locked up, not him!"

Archer's face was red with anger. His hands were trembling with how much rage he was feeling. He ran his fingers through his hair before he punched a hole in a nearby wall. His knuckles stung, but he couldn't care less about that.

"Calm down, Archer," Two-Bit tried to soothe. "We're going to get him out."

"What hospital?" Johnny asked Soda, throat dry.

"St. Louis hospital," Soda answered. "Maybe they will take Archer in too."

Archer spun around to charge at Soda, but Two-Bit quickly grabbed him, restraining him. He cursed at Darry and Soda but didn't do much else.

"Archer, it's going to be alright," Johnny said. Golly, Archer was scary when he was angry. "Take a deep breath. We're going to get him back."

The Soc stared at him before nodded, following his instructions. Slowly, his face started to return back to its original color. When he finally calmed down, he declared, "Let's go break Ponyboy out of that hellhole."


	23. His Savior

One day. Two days. Three days. Four days. Five days. Six days…

Seven days…

Time went by excruciatingly slowly. It dragged on, feeling like eons had passed even though only a few days had gone by. Each day was torture and he hated to say that he was getting used to it by now. Well, he wasn't exactly used to it. How could he be used to getting tortured every minute of the day? Ponyboy just wasn't expecting anything else to happen in the hospital, to be more accurate. He could predict his schedule now. It was always the same besides a few variations of it and a few more added sessions here and there. Day after day, his schedule was generally the same. Wake up after an hour of sleep, stare at the wall, go eat breakfast, get drugged, watch gay erotica, watch straight erotica, stare at a wall again, talk to a "specialist", stare at the wall again, electrocution, sleep for an hour, start again.

He was starting to go insane in there.

Ponyboy looked different now. He lost a lot of weight. Although he wasn't as thin as the other patients, he was getting there. His ribs were now visible, and his already baggy clothes hung off of his body more than ever. Dark bags rested under his dull eyes, almost making him look like a dead raccoon. Ponyboy wished that he was a dead raccoon instead of a gay man trapped inside of an abusive prison. There were now burn marks on his temples from where the metal plates were pressed against his head during the electrocution session. He hoped that the marks wouldn't scar when he leaves the hospital because he didn't want to be constantly reminded of the place. _If_ he ever makes it out. Ponyboy was honestly surprised that he made it this far—with all of the electrocution and starvation and all.

Man, he was starving, but he didn't have any appetite to eat anything. His mouth tasted like vomit all of the time now. Ponyboy had forgotten what it was like to not taste vomit on his tongue. His stomach clenched in both disgust and hunger, causing him to cringe in pain. He clutched at his stomach. When was the last time he had a decent meal? Months ago. He managed alright without his brothers providing him with nice meals, but there was only so much that he could do by himself.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and an employee poked their head inside. Ponyboy didn't even need to look at them to know what was up.

"Come on, it's time for the next session," they informed him.

Here he goes again.

Ponyboy stood up, feeling empty on the inside. He followed the employee out to where all of the other patients were waiting for the next session to start. He numbly sat down, blankly staring down at his hands. He was just like everyone else in the room. If it wasn't for the small physical differences, he was identical to all of the other patients. In the beginning, he didn't want that to happen, but he really couldn't help it. The torture broke him. He was just a shell of the person that he used to be, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

But he was doing it to get better. Once he gets better, he could leave. Everything would go back to normal. However, Ponyboy knew that normal for him was being with Archer. He loved him but Archer didn't seem to love him back. So, what was the point of continuously yearning for them to be together?

He wanted Archer to save him again, but he knew that he—or anybody really—was going to help. He had to get through this himself.

* * *

When he returned to his room at the end of the day, he was expecting to be finished with all of the sessions (besides maybe the electrocution that always happened in the middle of the night). But that night was different. He thought that he generally got used to all the different types of "treatments", but he was _so_ wrong.

He was maybe sitting on the bed for a couple of minutes before the door opened again, much to his confusion. He could just tell from the small window in his room that it was far too late in the night to be leaving again. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Get up, you're going to your last session," the employee ordered. However, something about the way he said that was weird. The last session… The last session of the night, probably.

Nodding with a long sigh, Ponyboy got back onto his feet and followed the employee out. The hospital was eerie during the night. Besides the ever so often screams that came from some of the other patients' rooms, it was dead silent. It was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The lighting was dimmed down as well, causing shadows to lurk out of every corner. It made the hospital look haunted, but he knew that it wasn't… hopefully. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that the atmosphere was a hundred times heavier than usual.

The employee led him to a new section of the hospital that he had never been to before. They brought him to the back where there were dual, iron doors. The employee held the door open for him and Ponyboy stepped inside of the new room, although he would later wish that he would have bolted straight out of the hospital when he had the chance to do so. Inside of the room, there were many nurses and a doctor that were clad in white, medical garbs. They all turned to him, faces covered by masks. Simultaneously, they gestured to a bloody, metal table that was situated in the middle of the room, a bright light hanging over it. At first, Ponyboy thought that he was going to get electrocuted again. However, there was no equipment around to do so and they could have done so in his room. His eyes trailed down to a medical tray that was next to the table which had many unsanitary, scary tools on it. If he looked close enough, he could see that they were covered in dried blood. Seeing those tools, he knew that it could mean only one thing: surgery.

His eyes widened impossibly wide in both horror and realization. A strong shutter swept through his body. Holy crap. They weren't going to electrocute him. They were planning on performing some sort of surgery on him. Ponyboy didn't know what kind though. No matter what, he didn't want it. He didn't sign up for surgery. They weren't even qualified to be surgeons. And what did they even have to perform surgery on?

He had to get out of there. There was no way that he was going to go through with his.

"No…" he whimpered with shaky knees. He started to back away from the table, but he only ran into the employee that had taken him there. In one swift motion, the employee looped his arms under Ponyboy's armpits to keep him from running away. Ponyboy thrashed wildly, squirming as much as he could in their hold. "No! Let me go!"

But Ponyboy weak. The lack of sleep, food, and exercise drained him and caused his movements to become sluggish. He screamed and screamed, throat becoming raw.

"Let go! Let go! Don't do this!" he screamed, voice cracking.

The employee dragged him to the operation table, strapping him down to it with the help of the nurses. But Ponyboy didn't give up. He continued to struggle against the straps, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Muffle him," the doctor commanded. One of the nurses swiftly did so, putting a bloody gag on him as disgusting as it was. The doctors and nurses started to talk to each other about the operation, using some words that Ponyboy didn't know. While they were prepping, Ponyboy noticed through his teary vision that they weren't going to be using any anesthetics or other types of numbing agents on him. It became clear to him that he was going to have to go through this completely awake; feeling every bit of pain that it had to offer.

Ponyboy's fear spiked exponentially. His body trembled as he sobbed uncontrollably. His stomach lurched and twisted as if he were on a rollercoaster. He felt like throwing up and he would have done so if he hadn't already vomited out everything before coming into the room. Pony's heartbeat was hammering so quickly against his chest that it was about to run away from him. Through his gag, he hyperventilated, quickly becoming dizzy. His fear was suffocating him; crushing him like what the sky was doing to Atlas.

He was going to die.

They were going to kill him.

On the metal tray next to him, there was a long, needle-like tool. When he said 'long', he meant _long_. It was ginormous. The needle (it was more like a rod or an ice pick if anything) was about the size of his forearm. Ponyboy didn't know what it was going to be used for, but he could only expect that it wasn't good whatsoever. He got the answer for what it was for when the doctor explained it to a rookie nurse.

"This will be going through the eye socket," the doctor explained, brandishing the tool to the light. "This tool will be making multiple incisions into his brain. The prefrontal lobe to be exact. We're going to be slicing some slivers into it and then sticking this tool through the brain until it reaches the top of the skull."

Ponyboy almost fainted right then and there.

What? What were they going to do to him? His brain? That needle was going to be going from his eye, through his brain, to the top of his skull?

No. He couldn't go through that. His rapid breathing picked up some more, veins traveling across his vision. He couldn't. No. Please. He didn't want this. He was scared.

"Did you understand that?" the doctor asked, paying no attention to him. "A lobotomy is the best way to cure people of their mental illness."

"Yes, I did, sir," the trainee confirmed, briefly nodding their head.

He was going to die.

This was going to kill him!

He wanted to cure himself; not die!

"Great, let's begin. We shouldn't waste any more time," the doctor chirped.

Ponyboy thrashed on the table, moving his head from side to side so quickly that it gave him whiplash. But he couldn't stop and be in a daze. He couldn't let this mad doctor stick a rod in his brain. He screamed and whimpered for help, but he knew that nobody was going to save him.

He was going to die here, and nobody was going to care about it.

One of the nurses held his head in place, stopping him from continuously thrashing his head around. The doctor leaned over him, grabbing the bridge of his nose to help keep him from moving. The sharp tip of the ice pick slowly approached him, getting closer and closer to his eye. Ponyboy could only stare at it in petrified fear, body tensing up so much that he practically turned into a stone. He subconsciously held his breath as it got closer.

It was right in front of his eye now, the point ghosting over it. He wanted to close his eyes, but he was too petrified to move.

This was it. This was the end.

Ponyboy was going to die.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and the ice pick froze in place. He couldn't see what had caused the doctor to stop, but he got his answer soon enough.

"What the fuck are you doing to him?" hollered a familiar voice that caused him to breathe out a sigh of relief.

He was saved.

* * *

The gang plus Archer were all standing in front of the hospital that Ponyboy was supposedly inside of. The hospital looked abandoned from the outside. It was fenced away in some random street in Tulsa. The lights were all turned off on the inside, making it hard to see in the dark if it wasn't for some streetlights near the road.

They've all decided to infiltrate the hospital during the night—even though it killed most of them to wait that long. It especially hurt Archer who wanted to go straight away, but Steve and Dally managed to convince him to wait a few hours until it was dark. There were fewer staff members during the night after all. That would give them the best chance at finding Ponyboy without getting caught themselves. They've even somehow convinced Darry and Soda to come along, who weren't pleased in the slightest.

They didn't want to break Ponyboy out. The two brothers wanted him to stay and get better. They were told that "they had to see what they did to Ponyboy", but the didn't think that their opinion would change. Archer didn't think so as well. He wanted them to have nothing to do with Ponyboy. They didn't deserve him.

"Okay, there's a back entrance. We'll get in from there," Dally instructed after he walked around the hospital one time. The gang and Archer all nodded.

"Then what?" Steve asked. "We don't even know where he is in there. He could be anywhere, and we don't really have a lot of time. The longer that we're in there, the more trouble there will be."

"That's why we need to find an employee and grab them. We can get them to take us to him."

"What happens if we run into trouble along the way?" Johnny questioned.

"We won't."

"I really doubt that," Archer mumbled, causing Dally to roll his eyes.

"Look, if we happen to run into trouble, we'll take care of it."

"And them?" Two-Bit brought up, pointing to the two brothers. "Darry and Soda will ruin the heist. They don't want Ponyboy out."

"Well, if we get caught, we're probably going to go to jail or something. Soda will be taken away if we're caught."

Darry and Soda glowered at Dally. This was the whole problem with them going. They were putting a lot on the line by coming along. They didn't even want to be there.

"We should get moving," Steve whispered, and everybody nodded.

They easily found the back entrance, breathing out a sigh of relief when it was open. They entered the hospital and were caught off guard at how terrible it was on the inside. It was a dump. This wasn't a place that a human should be inhabiting whatsoever. As they snuck their way through the corridors, they heard muffled screams, but they didn't know if any of them belonged to Ponyboy. They couldn't exactly look through each room without getting caught. The gang and Archer would just have to wait.

Everything went pretty smoothly at first. There weren't any staff around at first and the patients were inside of their rooms. It made sneaking around pretty easy. But they still had to find an employee.

When they heard an employee walk in their direction, the gang and Archer quickly hid behind a wall. It was quite cartoonish. They didn't know how it even worked. The employee soon walked by them without noticing them at all. He was humming a cheerful tune and Johnny sort of felt sorry for the employee for what they were going to do.

Dally suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the employee. He pressed his hands over the man's mouth to muffle his yell in shock. The greaser leaned forward and harshly whispered into his ear, "Don't scream, got it? If you do, then it will be the end for you right here."

The employee went pale, stiffly nodding his head.

"Now I'm going to let go of you and you're going to take us to see someone. Don't try to run away. We'll let go of you when we get what we want," Dally continued.

Again, the employee nodded. Dally slowly let go of him, and, much to the relief of everyone there, he didn't run away. Instead, he turned around to get a good look at them, swallowing thickly. "What do you want?" he asked.

"You're going to take us to Ponyboy Curtis."

Recognition flashed through the employee's eyes. "What do you want him for?"

"We're here to get him out of this hellhole," Archer growled, stepping forward. He tapped his foot impatiently against the tile. "Take us to him."

The employee let out a shuttering breath, chewing at his bottom lip. Knowing that he had no choice, the employee stiffly led them through the corridors. But something was strange about it, and Archer had a bad feeling about him. Besides the fact that no other employee was around, the one that was leading them was being quite compliant. He was risking his job. Why wasn't he struggling even the slightest?

They passed by many doors, getting deeper and deeper inside of the hospital. Archer kept his eyes trained on the employee, just in case he was going to try something that would jeopardize them. He kept his eyes on him until he felt a knot in his stomach. Archer looked up, looking around. The hallway looked like the others, but he had a strong feeling that something was different about this one.

It was strange. His gut was telling him not to continue following the employee. It was telling him that he was leading them to danger and that they were getting further and further away from Ponyboy.

Archer always had a problem with following his gut. He didn't always do it and it brought him more trouble than it should have. Archer knew better now. If his gut was telling him something, he was going to follow it. And it was telling him to turn back and go through a door which had muffled screams coming from it and light peeking out from the cracks.

"Stop," he ordered, causing the gang and the employee to freeze in their place and turn to him.

"What is it?" Johnny asked, confused.

"There's something wrong. I just… I…" Archer shook his head, biting at his nails. He looked over his shoulder back to the door. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the employee tense up, which confirmed his suspicions. The employee was trying to hide whatever—or whoever—was behind that door. He wasn't taking them to Ponyboy. He was probably trying to take them to the guards. "This isn't right."

"What isn't right?"

"Ponyboy. He's not taking us to him."

"What do you mean? Yes, he is," Steve argued, but Archer only shook his head.

"No, that lying son of a bitch is trying to get us caught. Ponyboy… he… he… I think he's behind that door." Archer pointed to the dual, metal doors that they had passed by.

"I'm taking you to him," the employee reassured, but Archer wasn't listening. His heart was beating quickly as everything blurred around him. Ponyboy. He had to get to Ponyboy. He took a few steps towards the door, but that was he was able to take before the employee grabbed him, trying to drag him to the floor. "No!"

"What the hell?" someone cursed, but Archer wasn't sure who had said it.

"Let go of me!" Archer screamed as he kicked at the employee. He had to get to Ponyboy!

Suddenly, the employee was ripped off of him by Dally, causing Archer to stumble to the floor for a moment before he quickly pushed himself back up. He started to run towards the door that he had a strong feeling about. The gang was right on his heels and the employee was left behind, sprawled on the floor unconscious (No doubt, Dally's work).

He burst through the dual doors, catching everybody inside off-guard. His breath hitched when he saw Ponyboy, looking like a skeleton, lying on a table with a rod being held in front of his teary eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing to him?" he screamed, a feeling of déjà vu hitting him. This reminded him a lot of the situation with Gary, but that other greaser should be the last thing on his mind right now.

"Christ," Two-Bit hissed when he saw the scene in front of them.

When Soda and Darry saw what was happening, they went rigid. Their mouths went dry. Darry was the first of the two to figure out what was happening. The tool that the doctor was holding was enough of a clue for him to figure out that it was a lobotomy. He just didn't know how to react to it. Soda didn't either. They really shouldn't be caring at all. Ponyboy was a fag, but they didn't want _this_ to happen to him. It was immoral and the state that Pony was in was another thing altogether.

The person on the operating table didn't look like the person that they grew up with anymore. A lot of things had changed in the week that Ponyboy was there. He was so fragile and broken as he was moments away from possibly being killed. For the first time in a long time, they saw him as the little brother that they used to care so deeply about. They didn't want to lose Ponyboy. They just wanted him to get better. This wasn't meant to happen. This place was supposed to cure him; not kill him.

But that didn't change the fact that he was still gay. They absolutely hated that about him. But, golly, this was horrible. What did the hospital even do to him? It really made them wonder what else Ponyboy had to go through because of his sexuality. Nobody deserved to go through so much suffering. Not even gay people.

Most of all, they were the reason that Ponyboy was like this. They were killing him, and they didn't mean it at all. It just happened. But there was no excuse for them.

Their stomachs turned as they exchanged looks. They went too far.

Meanwhile, Archer saw red. Before he knew it, he was charging forward. People screamed around him but all that was on his mind was Ponyboy. He was right there, just within his reach. Suddenly the doctor moved between them, but adrenaline was pumping through Archer's veins at this point. With strength that he didn't know he had, he shoved the doctor backward, sending him crashing to the floor, hitting his head against the edge of the table along the way. There was a sickening crack, but the Soc didn't even care if he had accidentally killed the man at that point.

He finally reached Ponyboy, quickly taking the straps off of him. His hands shook violently, making it hard to do so. However, he eventually did it and moved onto the gag. His heart was going so fast. He finally had Ponyboy and he didn't want to let go of him ever again. He wanted to break down in relief, but he also wanted to touch him, feeling the warmth of his body on his own.

Ponyboy slowly sat up when the gag was removed, their eyes never breaking contact with one another. Tears were still falling, and Archer wanted to wipe them away, but he didn't know how Pony would respond to the action. He looked down at the younger boy's lips, which were chapped and slightly parted. God, he wanted to kiss him. Every molecule and fiber inside of him wanted to. His emotions were pushing him forward; telling him to do it. But Ponyboy probably wouldn't appreciate it.

Oh, screw it. He needed Ponyboy.

"Arch—" Ponyboy started but was cut off by Archer harshly connecting their lips together. Time stopped around them as the fastest thing that moved were their fluttering hearts. Ponyboy was pushed back down onto the operating table, too weak to hold himself up. His shaky hands managed to find themselves to Archer's hair, tangling his fingers through his strands. Archer's lips were softer than what he remembered them to be from all those months ago. His own molded perfectly with his like it was meant to be. Warmth spread throughout both of them, going from their lips to their toes, sending a tingling wave through them.

It felt so right.

But the kiss ended far too quickly.

"Your reunion is great and all, but we really need to go," Steve interrupted as he socked a guard in the cheek. "The police are probably going to be here soon."

Archer pulled away and Ponyboy let out a disappointed whine. But they knew that Steve was right. They had to get going or their effort to save the youngest greaser was going to fail. Helping Ponyboy down, the Soc looked around. There were many guards, doctors, and nurses knocked out on the floor. While they were having their moment, the gang was guarding them, fighting off whoever came through the door. Their bodies were bruised up and bleeding, but they were still going strong.

"Can you walk?" Archer asked Ponyboy.

"Yeah, I think so," Ponyboy replied, still dizzy from the kiss.

With a brief nod, Archer grabbed Pony's hand and they started to slowly make their way to the door. The gang surrounded them (even Soda and Darry, much to Ponyboy's surprise) in a protective circle as they pushed through the remaining people in their way. The young greaser was in a daze the entire way out of the hospital. Excitement was bubbling through him.

He was finally getting out! He was saved!

When he took his first step outside in a week, he took a huge, deep breath. The crisp, fresh air was so refreshing to his lungs. He wanted to stand there and breathe it all in and appreciate the little things that he had missed, but they still had to continue moving.

Archer led him down to his car which was parked a bit away from the hospital. He was still keeping him close by which caused Ponyboy to blush. What did this mean for them? He was so happy to be both out of the hospital and to be kissed by Archer. But Archer did say that he didn't want him around before. He should have been nervous or even confused, but Ponyboy was just hopeful again.

"The police," Two-Bit called out, pointing to approaching flashing lights.

"Shit, we got to get moving," Steve cursed after he looked in the direction that Two-Bit was pointing to.

Johnny took a quick glance around, simultaneously counting heads to make sure everybody was there. He was glad that he did count because he quickly realized that Soda and Darry were missing.

"Wait," he spoke up, causing everybody to turn to him. "Where are Darry and Soda?"

The gang looked around, but, of course, they didn't find them.

"Did they get left behind?" Two-Bit asked.

Steve shrugged, furrowing his eyebrows with worry. "They were following us most of the way," he informed them.

All of a sudden, the two brothers ran towards them, seemingly coming out of nowhere, panting hard. Soda was holding a file in his hands which he didn't walk in the hospital with. "Hold on," Soda breathed out, placing his hands on his knees. Man, he was out of shape.

"What happened?"

Soda held out the file. "We stopped and grabbed this. It's Ponyboy's file."

At his name, Ponyboy tensed up. He subconsciously moved so that he was slightly hidden by Archer. What were they going to do with his file? Stick him back into conversion therapy? They were probably only there to watch him get tortured.

When he saw his request, Archer tried to loop his arm protectively over Pony's shoulder, but the younger boy flinched. He instantly froze, retracting his arm. Archer back to Soda and the file that he was holding. He didn't want to come up with conclusions, but he was fairly certain that it had something to do with his brothers putting him into conversion therapy. He clenched his jaw, glowering.

"Get away from him," he growled, wanting so badly to throw some punches.

Sensing the anger, Soda lowered his arms. "I'm not going to do anything," he reassured. "Darry and I grabbed this so that there wouldn't be a file of Ponyboy ever being admitted to the hospital. We're helping him."

Archer scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Helping him? Why are you helping him now? You didn't help him at all before."

"Look, we didn't think that this would happen to him," Darry defended. "We only wanted him to get better."

"Being gay isn't a mental illness! Why can't you understand that? It's a part of him."

Darry narrowed his eyes, clenching his hands into fists. "Hey—"

But Archer had enough. He took a threatening step forward. "You almost killed him! What the fuck is wrong with you two?!"

"We didn't think that that this would happen!" Soda argued. "Do you think that we wanted him dead?"

"You sure wanted him gone."

"Archer…" Ponyboy murmured, wanting him to stop arguing. He didn't want to make his brothers hate him even more.

"No," Archer snapped. "This has to be done."

"We really should get going," Dally warned, looking over his shoulder. If they didn't go soon, they were going to get caught.

"We're almost done here." Archer snatched the file from Soda's hand, glaring daggers. "I won't let Ponyboy go back in your custody. If you want him gone, then he can move into my household. You bastards don't deserve him. Let him live his life without you ruining it for him."

For once, Soda and Darry were speechless. They knew that Archer was right. After seeing what had almost happened to Ponyboy… and even seeing the results of the conversion therapy… they knew that they were no good. It irritated them because they wanted to be right. If they let Ponyboy go with Archer, he wouldn't be getting better. He would continue being a faggot. But what they thought was best for him wasn't valid anymore. That was just shown to them. They were hurting Ponyboy, stripping him of everything; even the person that he used to be. They shouldn't be able to look at Ponyboy again after that.

Ponyboy stared at his brothers who were standing there, conflicting over their thoughts. His knees felt weak as he had to hold onto Archer's arm to keep him from collapsing. Man, he was fucked up. Part of him didn't want to be so close to Archer even though he was yearning for him. The memories of the torture that he was put through were fresh, making him nauseous. He was still gay, for sure, but he was now traumatized as well. Darry and Soda were the original cause of that. Although he appreciated that they were suddenly being more considerate, it didn't matter at all.

He had been through so much. How could he just accept that? Ponyboy couldn't. He was always going to be plagued with the memories. He was always going to feel the electricity fry his brain. He was most likely always going to taste vomit on his tongue forever. It was all because of them.

"Archer, let's go," he whispered, not waiting for them to agree to him moving out. It was his decision on what he did with his life. Even though he was still a minor and therefore doesn't have any jurisdiction over the matter, he would rather be taken away by the state than stay another night in the same house as them.

Darry and Soda didn't argue with him about it. They stayed completely silent.

"Yeah, let's get you out of here," Archer agreed, leading him back to his car. He was so happy that Ponyboy was in his life again and he was never going to let him go again.


	24. A Nightmare or a Dream

_Go! Go! Go! Legs move!_

_Ponyboy's arms were pumping at his sides as his feet quickly patted against the tile flooring, feeling heavy as if he were running through water. He couldn't focus his eyes. Everything passed by him in a loopy blur as he sprinted down the never-ending hallway of the hospital. Pony's breathing was labored, coming off as terrified pants. The only thing that was on his mind was that he had to run. Someone was chasing him, but he couldn't focus his eyes on whoever it was. The only thing that he could hear from the faceless figure was their booming footsteps which were getting louder and louder the closer that it got to him, and the piercing, incoherent whispers._

_He wasn't going to be able to run away. They were about to catch up to him._

_Move!_

_The hallway kept stretching and it seemed like he was never going to reach the end of it. The booming of the person's footsteps and the whispers were so loud now, but he kept running._

_Eventually, a door appeared in front of him, encouraging him to pick up his pace. The exit. It was right there. He slammed into it, stopping his run in an instant. Ponyboy reached over to the handle to open it, but it was, to his horror, locked. He pulled and pulled, but the door wouldn't budge. He banged his fist against the metal, screaming his lungs out._

" _Please. Please. Open," he begged. He looked over his shoulder again. They were getting closer, causing him to become more frantic. He jostled the door handle like a madman. "Please!"_

_To his luck, the door pulled open after one harsh tug. Ponyboy breathed out in relief, hope washing over him. He was free! At least, that's what he thought. Ponyboy tried to scramble through the open door, but before he could do that, it was too late. A hand grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him backward, causing him to yelp out in shock. He screamed again, trying to break free but it was futile. The hold that was on him was too strong. The faceless figure dragged him away from the door until it disappeared altogether. At that moment, Ponyboy lost the hope he had in escaping. The figure dragged him to a wooden chair that had suddenly appeared in the center of the hallway, lit up by a bright spotlight. They threw him on top of it, strapping him down and placing a familiar, metal headband on him._

_Breath hitching in his throat, Ponyboy wormed in the chair. "No. Don't do it. Let me go," he pleaded to the unknown figure who had walked over to a lever. Their hand slowly wrapped around it and he went ballistic. "Let me go!"_

_The figure pushed down on the lever causing Ponyboy to scream as a bright light engulfed his vision._

* * *

Ponyboy's body shot upright as a yell was released from his mouth. He tried to hug himself but found that he couldn't. His immediate thought was that he was still trapped inside of the hospital; still strapped onto the chair. Panic took over his mind as his body went rigid. He struggled against the hold and he somehow managed to free one of his arms. Blindly, Ponyboy threw a fist at whoever was holding onto him. He just needed to get away.

A yelp caused him to wake up completely. "Jesus Christ!" a familiar voice hissed as Ponyboy was let go.

"Archer?" Ponyboy breathed out. Sweat layered his skin, causing his hair and clothes to stick to his body. He dug his palms into his eyes as he tried to calm down. Oh man, he couldn't. His heart was racing too fast.

Again, Archer wrapped his arms around him, a hand petting his head. "It's alright, I'm here. You're okay," Archer soothed next to his ear. "You had a nightmare."

A nightmare… It was just a nightmare… He wasn't in conversion therapy…

Taking a shaky breath, Ponyboy looked around. He was in Archer's room. The bright, morning light caused his eyes to sting, a contrast to his dim room that was in the hospital. It warmed his skin like a blanket, but it wasn't as warm as Archer's hug. Ponyboy turned to him, seeing blood trickle out of his nose.

"You're bleeding," Ponyboy pointed out, instinctively reaching up to wipe some of it away.

"Yeah, you could really lay a punch," Archer huffed out, chuckling.

Ponyboy looked at him sheepishly, "Sorry."

Shaking his head, Archer scrunched up his eyebrows in worry. "It's fine… But what about you? Do you want to talk about it? You were kicking and screaming bloody murder."

Ponyboy pressed his lips tightly together. He really should talk about it, but that meant reliving his memories and he couldn't go back to the hospital. "I don't really want to talk about it…"

Archer nodded, understanding. "And you don't have to, but you can't hold everything in. That nightmare was really violent, and I know that you've been through a lot of shit in conversion therapy… but what happened there?"

Whimpering, Ponyboy shook his head. He could still feel the electricity running through his veins and, although he had washed out his mouth since then, still tasted the vomit on his tongue. He couldn't do it. He didn't want to go through it again. "I don't… I don't…" Ponyboy stuttered, teeth clenching so hard that it hurt his jaw.

The hug became tighter, helping to ground him. "You can do it. I'll be right here. Nobody is going to hurt you again," Archer reassured.

That wasn't entirely true and both of them knew that. There was going to be a trillion painful challenges that were going to come their way.

"I… I can't." Ponyboy looked away from Archer, but that only lasted for a split-second. Archer unwrapped his arms to hold Pony's face with both of his hands. He forced the younger teen to stare at him in the eyes, pulling their faces closer together so that they were breathing in each other's breaths. Breath hitching, a blush spread across Ponyboy's face. His lips tingled, remembering the feeling of the kiss that they shared in the hospital. Christ, his feelings for him were too intense. He couldn't believe this was real. Not that long ago, he thought that Archer hated his guts. It was like a dream. If it were a dream, he didn't want to wake up from it. "I'm sorry. I just can't."

"You can. Just take a deep breath."

He did so, breathing in slowly and shakily. "They…" he started, telling himself to just do it. "They drugged me and made me throw up. Every day for hours… it was just constant vomiting. Then they… electrocuted me."

"They electrocuted you?"

Ponyboy nodded, swallowing the saliva that had gathered inside of his mouth. His stomach twisted and turned violently. Oh, man, he was going to be sick. "Every… Everyday."

"That's…"

But that was as far Archer got before Pony threw himself off of the bed. He ran straight to the bathroom, hunching over the toilet and vomiting. The familiar taste invaded his mouth again; causing him to become dizzy. A hand gently touched his back, causing him to violently flinch but he quickly relaxed into it. It was just Archer, he reminded himself.

"Are you okay?" Archer asked when he lifted his head.

"Sorry…" Ponyboy apologized, wiping the vomit off of his mouth with his arm.

"No, it's fine."

A knock on the door shifted their attention. Archer's mom popped her head inside the bathroom, taking in the scene in front of her. "Oh," she started, eyebrows scrunching up together. "Is everything alright here?"

"I'm fine," Ponyboy mumbled, smiling thinly. Archer's mother smiled back.

"Fine enough to eat some breakfast?"

Ponyboy's stomach twisted again. He was starving but he wasn't in the mood to eat anything. The last time he ate, he was forced to throw it all up. He grimaced. "I'm not very hungry."

Raising her eyebrow disbelievingly, Archer's mother, crossed her arms. "I don't want to be rude, but you of all people need to eat something. I don't know what happened to you, but you should."

"I…" Ponyboy couldn't form a sentence. He looked at Archer for help, but he kept silent, much to his dismay.

"I'm making it a rule here. If you want to stay in this house, then you have to eat. No arguments."

Gulping, Ponyboy nodded. He didn't want to eat but he had no choice if his housing was on the line. He knew that she was mostly joking, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings in any way. He was a guest, after all. He was lucky enough for her to agree in him temporarily moving in. She could have left him on the street to rot, but she didn't. Ponyboy was going to be forever grateful to her for that. "I'll be right down," he sighed, and she grinned.

"Good. I made scrambled eggs."

Ponyboy's stomach rumbled, mouth watering despite him just vomiting. He hadn't had eggs in a while. He had stopped eating them after his brothers rejected him. He pulled himself off from the ground about to pass by Archer's mother but stopped midway. He turned to her, smiling. "Thank you for letting me stay here," he said.

"Of course. You really needed it. I'm really glad that you felt safe enough to stay here." She gestured out of the bathroom. "Now go get food before it gets cold."

When Ponyboy hurriedly left the bathroom, Archer got up to follow him down to the kitchen. However, before he could do that, his mother put a hand on his chest to halt him. "I need to talk to you for a bit," she brought up.

Tilting his head to the side, Archer asked, "About what?"

"What happened to him?"

Archer bit his bottom lip, looking in the direction that Ponyboy had ran off in. A part of him wanted to tell her, but Ponyboy had a hard time just telling him as much information as he did. There were probably a bunch of other things that had happened to him in the conversion therapy. He just didn't think it would be right for him to tell her. Ponyboy most likely wants to keep it as private as possible. He didn't blame him at all. Archer would have wanted the same thing if he were in that exact situation. "I can't tell you."

"And why's that?"

"Because he should be the one who tells you; not me."

His mother smiled at that, eyes shining with pride. She placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it. "You're really growing up well. I'm so happy that you're taking care of him. You've changed so much since the beginning of the year."

Archer grinned, still looking out the door. He knew exactly what happened that caused him to change so much. "I just had a good influence, is all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, everyone. This is a short chapter. I was dealing with a writer's block when I wrote this. T_T


	25. Lemon and Lavender

Out of everything that could have been on Ponyboy's mind, there was one thought that triumphed over the rest of them. That thought? What did Archer consider them to be? Despite all of the trauma that he was trying to figure out how to manage, he kept thinking back to that kiss. The tingle of it, although it happened a week or so ago, was still prominent on his lips, feeling as if butterflies were dancing on top of it. He craved to feel the soft, plush lips again, but he didn't know if he was in the right jurisdiction to do so. For what he knew, he wasn't Archer's boyfriend, and he didn't want to do anything that would mess up what they had already. He wanted to be considered his boyfriend, but that didn't mean that he wanted the same thing as him. Before Ponyboy went to conversion therapy, Archer had a girlfriend, and that thought hurt him.

He knew that it was stupid to be questioning this, but he just couldn't help it. Were they dating or were they not? It was completely understandable for him to be thinking this way especially with how he had been acting towards him ever since he had moved in with him. The Soc had been practically treading around him, keeping his distance. Although, he did keep a close tab on him.

After that one kiss in the hospital, nothing had progressed besides awkwardness. Archer hadn't made any move on him since then. Things were actually closer to the time when they were fake dating and it was strange, to say the least. Deep down, Ponyboy knew that Archer was trying to be wary around him because of what he had been through. And he was grateful for that, but, at the same time, Ponyboy was sick of it. He didn't want to be babied anymore or to be looked at like there was something wrong with him. Yes, he was mentally _not_ okay. But goddamn. He was not some baby. Being taken care of was nice and all, but a part of him wanted more than that. This was probably his hormones talking, but all he wanted was to be slammed against the wall by Archer and kissed.

That mere thought brought a deep blush to his face, causing him to squirm on the couch that he had been nested on.

"Why are you blushing?" Archer asked from the other side of the couch, a playful smile on his face. He turned from the TV to face Ponyboy, which only caused the younger teen to sink himself further in the cushions. Christ, he couldn't get the image out of his brain.

Ponyboy pulled on the drawstrings on the oversized hoodie that he had borrowed from Archer, hiding his flushed face a bit. He breathed in deeply, smelling Archer's overwhelming scent that caused him to become dizzy. "Nothing," he mumbled, prying his eyes away from the other male.

"Something's up." Sometimes, Ponyboy hated how weirdly observant Archer was when it came to him. Maybe it was from his 'sharpshooting', as he would call it, when it came to basketball. "What is it?"

Should he ask him the question that had been bothering him? Archer had set up a good moment to ask it, but what would happen if Archer didn't like him the same way? Would he kick him out? Ponyboy shook his head. He had to ask regardless of the consequences. It was going to kill him if he didn't.

He took a deep breath. "What are we?" he asked, voice cracking from how nervous he was.

Instantly, Archer faltered, caught off guard at the sudden question. He opened his mouth before closing it again. "What are we?" he repeated, unsure if he heard Ponyboy correctly.

"Yeah… What are we?"

Each passing second just made Ponyboy more anxious. He picked at his cuticles, a coping habit that he picked up after leaving the hospital. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to wait much longer.

"Well…" Archer started, swallowing thickly. He awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck, trying to figure out the best way to continue. Eventually, Ponyboy guessed that he just decided to say, 'fuck it', something that he loved about Archer. Sometimes, you just have to love bold people. "Wasn't that kiss enough of a clue? We're boyfriends… unless you don't want that."

Boyfriends. That word sounded weird to both of them. They were used to hearing that word around each other since they used to pretend that they were dating, but it was actually real this time. Never in a billion years would they have thought that they were going to get to this point. It seemed like they had been running a marathon for forever, and now they couldn't believe that they were seeing the finish line.

"Boyfriends?" Ponyboy tested out.

"Yeah, do you have a problem with it?" Archer pressed.

A smile crept itself onto Ponyboy's lips, although hidden with the hood that covered a large portion of his face. "Not a problem at all, Robin Hood."

At the name, Archer froze and stared at Ponyboy in shock. He gaped. The name, although he hated it before, sounded so nice now. He missed it, although he wouldn't admit that out loud. "You haven't called me that in a while."

"Well, you better believe that it's going to be making a comeback."

Archer mockingly huffed, a big grin forming on his face. He held out his hand. "Then Roadrunner is making a comeback as well, deal?"

Squinting his eyes, Ponyboy reached out and shook Archer's hand. "Deal."

Once that was over, Archer pulled his hand away, deciding something. "Hey, we should go out a do something," he proposed.

As fun as that sounded, Ponyboy couldn't help but feel sick. Ever since he moved in, Ponyboy _never_ left Archer's property. The furthest that he had gone was out in Archer's backyard to watch the sunset. He was still terrified of being caught and brought back to conversion therapy. However, he knew that he couldn't continue hiding forever. He was probably failing all of his classes in school now and he didn't want to jeopardize his academics.

"And do what exactly?" Ponyboy asked, picking at his cuticles again.

Archer shrugged. "I don't know," he honestly replied. "But, first dates are awkward…"

A date. This was going to be an actual date. His heart fluttered in excitement. "Well, we've technically already been on a few dates before, so we can consider those as previous dates. It doesn't have to be anything special."

"Yeah, but you deserve me putting in the eighty-nine percent."

Ponyboy raised his eyebrow at that. "Eighty-nine percent? What happened to the other eleven percent?"

Archer snorted. "Trust me, going one hundred percent would be too much for you right now."

"Oh?" Ponyboy went silent, thinking that the conversation was going to fade away. But that was when realization in what Archer had meant hit him. His eyes went wide as his face became so flushed that it was worrisome. Archer was talking about sex—giving his mind, body, and soul. " _Oh_."

"Yeah, so, uh, give me a day. I'll figure something out."

Ponyboy could only nod as he dug himself deeper into the couch. He was both excited and nervous about whatever Archer had planned for him. Suddenly, the TV seemed a lot more interesting than it did a few minutes ago. He hoped that his never-erasing blush would be gone by the time that everything is figured out.

* * *

It was nothing, Ponyboy tried to tell himself after he was told that Archer thought about the perfect date idea. He had been on dates before with him. There wasn't anything to be nervous about. But he _was_ nervous. There were multiple factors that contributed to this feeling. First of all, this was an actual date; not some pretend one where they would just have to be near each other with no obligations whatsoever. What if he smelled? Should he take another shower? The idea of a date made him insecure about himself like no other.

As he was looking at his appearance in the mirror, he couldn't help but wonder what Archer saw in him. He was still gaunt, although he had gained a bit more weight after leaving the hospital. His skin was pale and dark bags hung under his tired eyes, a result of being woken up by nightmares every night. He was ugly and everyone that Archer had dated looked better than him. It was understandable that, because of his insecurities, he was nervous about the date. What if he disappointed Archer?

Finally, he was nervous about going outside. He didn't know if the hospital was searching for him again. Although his files weren't there anymore, there was a chance of them chasing after him. Going outside meant that he was exposing himself and he just couldn't go back. Ponyboy would rather die than return to that place.

"Ready to go?" Archer asked, poking his head into the bathroom.

Slowly, Ponyboy nodded, walking down towards the front door with Archer at his side. Before he could exit the door, he stopped, licking at his lips nervously. His stomach turned with uneasiness, knees feeling weak. He didn't want to leave.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his own, holding it firmly. Archer squeezed his hand. "You can do it," he encouraged. "Just take a step forward."

Ponyboy forced a quivering smile on his face, nodding. He could do it. It was just one step. He could do one step.

Taking a deep breath, Ponyboy lifted up a heavy foot and brought it forward. He could do it, he kept repeating to himself. When he did manage to get his foot out the door, he looked back to Archer who was grinning at him.

"There you go," Archer said. "It was easy, right?"

"Yeah, it was," Ponyboy simply replied.

"Now, let's not waste any more time. Let's go and start our amazing date."

The two of them scurried to Archer's car and Ponyboy slouched down so that only the top of his head was exposed from the window. He wondered where Archer had planned to take him, especially if it was supposed to be amazing. Despite feeling carsick because of the position that he was sitting in and nervous about the upcoming challenges that he might have to face, Ponyboy was excited. It was going to be great; a memorable experience that he would never forget

At the label of 'amazing date', Ponyboy had expected Archer to go all out on the date. So, he was surprised when Archer pulled into the parking lot of the public pool. The pool was empty, it being freezing outside and all. Ponyboy was surprised that the pool was even open and uncovered. Only crazy people would swim at that time. Archer couldn't possibly have taken him to a swimming pool for their 'amazing date', could he? There had to be something more to it.

"The pool?" Ponyboy asked, eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.

"Yeah, it's the only place that's empty," Archer explained.

Ponyboy rolled his eyes at his blatant answer. "I _wouldn't_ have thought that at _all_. It's _not_ like it's cold or anything," he remarked sarcastically.

Archer lightly chuckled, removing the key from the ignition. "I think after that remark, you have to cool off a bit. What better place than a pool?"

The young greaser crossed his arms, giving up on the playful banter. He should give Archer a chance. Maybe he had something up his sleeve. However, he looked down at their clothes—hoodies and long pants—and realized that they weren't wearing anything suitable for swimming. "We're not wearing swimsuits."

"Luckily, you don't need swimsuits to go swimming," Archer answered suggestively. He wiggled his eyebrows at Ponyboy, causing the younger boy to blush. He quickly looked away, fumbling with the handle for the door as he scrambled out of the car. Much to his dismay, it only made him look eager, which was not his intention at all. From behind him, he could hear Archer cackle making Ponyboy only blush harder. At this rate, he wasn't going to make the entire date.

A few minutes later, the two of them entered the pool. From up-close, Ponyboy could see vapor roll off the top of the water, meaning that the heater was on. He breathed out a sigh of relief. When he was in the parking lot, he thought that the water was going to be cold. It made him feel better even though he was fairly confident that he wasn't going to be getting into that pool anytime soon. It didn't matter how warm the water was, it was still freezing outside.

He walked over to the side of the pool, dipping a finger inside of the water out of curiosity. It was hot—almost like a hot tub. That didn't change his stance on swimming that day. Ponyboy stood up, deciding to sit down and relax somewhere.

"There's no way that I'm going to be—" he started as he was turning around away from the pool. But, as he turned around, he was cut short when Archer charged at him without warning. His eyes boggled, body going rigid. "Archer! Hold on! Wait!"

But it was too late.

Archer looped his arm around Ponyboy's neck, leaping forward over the side of the pool. A short scream left the younger boy's mouth as his body was flung backward with him. His stomach twisted involuntarily as he crashed into the water. The arm that was around his neck let go of him, leaving him sinking to the bottom of the shallow side of the pool. The warm, chlorinated waters caressed his body, coaxing him to open his eyes, which he did. The water stung them a bit, causing him to squint as he stared upwards to where the lights were filtering through the surface. Like angelic rays were shining down on him. It made it seem like the warm water was only an illusion. The warmth hugged him, making his toes tingle. He was mesmerized by the light, caught in a trance so strong that he forgot that he was underwater. He only snapped out of it when he realized that he couldn't hold his breath any longer.

He pushed up from the bottom of the pool, taking a huge breath when his head breached the surface. A loud gasp exited his mouth as he ran his fingers through his hair so that it would go back to the style that it was before.

"You good?" Archer asked.

Ponyboy nodded, and sputtered out, "Yeah. Yeah. I got distracted. Why did you do that?"

Archer shrugged, lowering himself more in the water so that his chin was submerged. He twisted around on his toes. "I had to get you in somehow."

"But it's cold out and—Oh. You're taking your clothes off…"

Ponyboy's face heated up as Archer peeled off his soaked sweatshirt, revealing a very toned body. The scene was ridiculously, almost like an overdramatic movie. Water dripped down his skin almost sinfully, vapor clouding up parts of his body. Ponyboy was going to have an aneurism. If there was a moment that made him go, 'oh he's definitely gay'… it was this one.

So, this was the reason why Archer wanted to go swimming.

Noticing his reaction, Archer smirked and slowly pushed himself over to him. Ponyboy couldn't help but step backward, eyes wider than plates. His heart was hammering against his chest, face redder than tomatoes at that point.

Oh god, this was all going too fast. They just started dating.

Ponyboy's back hit the side of the pool, leaving him to only be able to watch as Archer walked closer to him. Soon enough, he was standing less than a foot away from him. His body was hot—boiling in fact—but he didn't know if it was from the pool or actually just from his body reacting to the situation. It was probably both.

Archer tugged at the sweatshirt, which was heavy from all of the water that it had soaked up, that he was wearing. He asked, "Are you going to take this off?"

The younger teen felt a sudden pang in his chest at that. While he was flustered before, he was now insecure again. Ponyboy remembered that under his sweatshirt was a bony torso. He looked disgusting. He hugged his stomach, slouching into himself. He looked down at the water, wanting to be swallowed up by it. "No, I'm good," he whispered.

"It must be really heavy at this point."

"I'm good," Ponyboy sternly repeated.

There was a long pause as Archer tried to figure out what was obviously wrong with Ponyboy. He stared down at the other male who was avoiding his eyes as best as he could. Pony hugged himself as if he were self-conscious about his weight. That's when the realization hit him. He was ashamed of his recovering body. Man, did that realization make him feel like a jerk…

"Hey, look at me," Archer ordered after letting out a long sigh. He reached forward and lifted Ponyboy's chin so that they could stare at each other face-to-face. "You don't have to do it, okay?"

"Okay…" Ponyboy mumbled, a familiar question popping up in his head again. "Archer?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you see in me? I'm just so…" He couldn't finish his sentence. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

A small, soft smile appeared on Archer's face as he rubbed Pony's chin with his thumb. There was a lot of stuff that he liked about Ponyboy—too much to say it then and there. So, he said this instead, "I should be asking you the same thing, you know… You gave me a chance and was so brave no matter what happened to you. You don't see things in black and white like everybody else here. You're the truest person there is. And I—I… You know what? I'm not really good at this cheesy stuff, Ponyboy."

"Then don't speak." Ponyboy didn't know what got into him when he said that, it just felt right at that moment.

At first, Archer didn't move. Both of them didn't. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, waiting to see who would move first. It was Archer who did. He snaked his hand to the back of Ponyboy's neck and pulled him forward. Their lips crashed against each other, gentle at first. It was obvious that Archer was holding back again to respect him, but Ponyboy didn't want that. He wanted it to be intense, desire bubbling up to its brim. Pony pressed his lips harder against Archer's, reaching up to tangle his hands in the other's wet mop of hair. The Soc grunted when his hair was pulled, getting the message to go rougher. However, Ponyboy, despite showing confidence, was inexperienced in kissing. When a tongue licked his lips, he didn't open them until Archer lightly bit them. The bite caused him to gasp, inhaling the strong scent of lavender and lemon—the new candle scent that was brought out the other day—that emitted off of his boyfriend. It was the best scent in the world, but, then again, any scent of Archer was the best. A tongue slipped into his mouth, causing a light moan to escape involuntarily. It was embarrassing, but he didn't care one bit. Nothing mattered but the two of them.

Archer stepped forward, sandwiching Ponyboy's body with the side of the pool. They felt all of each other, just wanting to get even closer together. They never wanted to part from each other.

The kiss was sloppy, but it was the best that any of them ever experienced. Eventually, though, they had to part. When they did, Ponyboy chased after Archer's lips, whining softly. He wanted more, but he reopened his eyes to look back at Archer. They both panted hard, out of breath; lips already starting to bruise.

"Wow…" Ponyboy breathed out, not sure what he was supposed to say.

Chuckling, Archer pressed his forehead against his, moving his arms down to hug Ponyboy around the waist. "God, I like you," he deeply whispered.

Ponyboy's heart swelled at that, bringing a glowing smile to his lips. "I like you too… so, so much."

Archer opened his mouth to say something, but a loud clap and a wolf whistle caused both of them to tense up. Their heads snapped towards the source of the sound, expecting for some homophobic asshole to come out and ruin their date. They weren't expecting to see Two-Bit and Johnny, whose face was flushed.

"Man, you two were devouring each other!" Two-Bit laughed out, making Ponyboy want to crawl up in a hole again.

"You were watching us?!" he exclaimed, horrified. How much did they see? Christ, this was so embarrassing.

However, Archer wasn't fazed much if at all. He smiled and asked, "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Archer!" Why were all of their kisses in front of other people?

Two-Bit only shrugged, looking over to Ponyboy who was just about ready to drown himself in the pool. "Don't worry, Pony," he reassured. "We didn't see much. We just got here."

Johnny nodded his head in agreement, although his red face said otherwise.

"What are you guys even doing here anyway?" Ponyboy asked, curiosity striking him.

After he asked that question, the two greasers looked behind them to where they were hiding before, much to his confusion. Two-Bit said something that he couldn't hear, but he figured it out a second later. Ponyboy had thought that only Two-Bit and Johnny were there, but one other person was there as well. When another figure stepped out into the open, his heart sank to his toes.

A weak voice left him as he said, "Soda…"

"Hey, Pony," his brother greeted back, standing in front of him with an unreadable expression on his face. "We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me the entire time write this: Aaaaaaahhhhh. *Punches the air*. I'm not used to writing cheesy romance at all. I tried. T_T


	26. Forgive-Me-Not

The two brothers stared into each other's eyes, unmoving. They waited for the other to move first, wary of what they were going to do. Both of them did it for different reasons. Soda was cautious because he didn't know how any of them were going to react to his demand; Ponyboy was cautious because he didn't know what Soda was planning on doing to him.

Eventually, though, Ponyboy gave up. With squinted eyes, he asked, "What do you want to talk about exactly?"

Soda shifted his eyes to Two-Bit and Johnny who were hovering around, watching the interaction closely. They kept their eyes on Soda to make sure he wouldn't try anything weird. They didn't want to act like this to Soda because of how close they were and all. However, Soda had been a real dick to Ponyboy the past few months.

"Can we talk in private?" Soda proposed, chewing on the inside of his cheeks. "You know… without them around?"

Archer let out a growl at his question, protectively putting an arm in front of Ponyboy. Christ, he hated that Soda guy. He didn't care if he was Ponyboy's brother, the stuff that he said to Ponyboy instantly put him onto his blacklist. Why couldn't he just leave them alone? They literally allowed Ponyboy to live with him so that they wouldn't have to interact with each other. Why couldn't they follow the memo that they created?

"He's not going anywhere with you alone," Archer snarled. "You shouldn't even be here."

He was sort of hoping that Soda would get angry. He didn't know why exactly. Maybe he just wanted an excuse to get up into Soda's face and scream at him. Instead, however, Soda stayed perfectly calm beside the cold glare that was sent Archer's way.

"Look, I know why you don't want me to interact with Ponyboy, but I promise you that I won't do anything to him," Soda reassured, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I can't be sure about that," Archer snapped. "I don't want you alone with Ponyboy."

"Well, this isn't about you. This is about him, Darry, and me." To emphasize himself, Soda jabbed his finger towards Ponyboy, then to the parking lot, and then to himself.

"Darry's here too?" Ponyboy asked, eyebrows scrunching together so much that wrinkles started to form on his forehead.

"He's in the car waiting for you, as well. So, _let's go_."

Everybody could tell that Soda was getting irritated and impatient. He wasn't usually like that, but ever since Ponyboy came out, he really changed. Even Steve was baffled at how different he was. Soda scared all of them, a statement that the gang had a hard time processing because of how offsetting it was.

"I don't want to talk to you," Ponyboy sternly stated, pulling Archer's arm down to hold it. "Especially not while you're like that.

Soda, understanding what one of the main problems was, took a deep breath to calm himself down. His eyes became gentler, although they still held some of its preexisting coldness to them.

"Please, Ponyboy," he pleaded.

But Ponyboy knew better than to agree to him. It just didn't make sense. Why now? Soda didn't want anything to do with him for so long. Sure, he did help him escape the hospital, but he didn't want to in the first place. Soda was one of the reasons why he was in conversion therapy.

"Why are you suddenly so desperate to spend time with me?" Ponyboy snapped, pressing his lips tightly together into a thin line.

At his tone, Soda flinched. What Ponyboy said was right. Coming to meet him was hopeful thinking. Pony went through a lot, and Soda and Darry were the cause of a lot of that anguish. It was understandable that he was reluctant to talk to them. But he had to try. He didn't want to come for nothing. "We just want to understand you better. Steve convinced us to do it so, now we're here."

Ponyboy snorted. "So, you two talking to me is not actually your own idea? You guys don't actually want to talk to me…"

"No—" Soda shook his head. "I mean, _yes_. We want to talk to you."

Ponyboy wasn't convinced. He hummed as he continued to warily watch Soda. But he did have to give Soda credit. It was probably taking a lot for him to be standing there without calling him any names. He hated to say it, but he was considering giving Soda and Darry a chance to converse with him. He didn't forgive his brothers, don't get him wrong. Ponyboy didn't think that he would ever forgive them. However, he wanted Soda and Darry to understand him better. It was a long shot. But he would rather try and fail than not try at all. "Okay. Fine."

Archer snapped his head towards him in shock, baffled that Ponyboy even agreed to it. He let out a sigh and said, "If you're going, then I am too."

"No, this is between us. Not you," Soda rejected, pointing his finger at Ponyboy again.

The Soc raised his eyebrow. "Do you really think that I'm going to let you and Darry, homophobic assholes, be alone with Ponyboy?"

Soda clenched his jaw. "Listen, we let him stay with you. We went out of our way to save him and grab his files."

"Yeah, thank you for that, but we had to force you to come with us. You wanted him to stay in the—"

"Archer, it's okay. I don't want to go, but I was going to have to face his one day," Ponyboy interrupted, squeezing his hand. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut the date short."

Archer stared deeply into Ponyboy's eyes. "Are you sure? You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"I'm going to do it."

Nodding, Archer let go of his hand. "Okay, but don't let them walk over you and you're going to have to make this date up later, deal?"

"Deal." Ponyboy smiled reassuringly at Archer before he planted his palms on the ground outside the pool and pulled himself out. Shivering, he turned to Soda. "I'm wet but let's go."

* * *

The car ride was tense. Ponyboy uncomfortably sat in the backseat, soaked to the bone. His teeth clattered as he hugged himself. His two brothers kept their eyes forward, not speaking to him. The tension inside the car was crushing him. Even though they reassured him that they wouldn't do anything, Ponyboy had to wonder where they were planning on taking him. A thought of them driving off to the middle of nowhere and leaving him for dead passed through his brain. He wasn't sure if they would actually go to that extreme, but it still was enough to cause him to worry.

Fortunately, Darry didn't drive to the middle of nowhere. He pulled into the parking lot of a diner where they sat down in a booth. The employees of the diner stared at Ponyboy incredulously. It wasn't every day that a dripping wet teenager came to eat there. The diner was bustling with people and the newest Elvis song was blasting from the jukebox, making the restaurant so loud that it made it hard for Ponyboy to hear his thoughts.

A waitress walked over to them, trying her best to disregard Ponyboy's appearance. She asked for their order, pulling out her notepad. It was then that Darry finally spoke to him.

"What do you want?" Darry asked, eyes blank.

Ponyboy slumped down in the booth, shaking his head. He mumbled, "I'm not really hungry."

Darry turned back to the waitress. "He'll take a Pepsi."

After taking everybody's order, they, once again, fell into an awkward silence and Ponyboy wondered why he even agreed to go with them. He tapped his fingers against the table, pressing his lips tightly together. Ponyboy was glad when the Pepsi came to the table. He instantly put the straw inside of his mouth, slowly sucking the soft drink in. He glanced around the diner, watching all the people who were happily talking to each other with huge smiles on their faces. Pony envied them. They were having the time of their lives while he was wondering if his brothers were going to lecture him or not. He sighed. Not even a Pepsi could elevate his mood. He wondered what Archer was doing. He was probably with Two-Bit and Johnny still. Ponyboy wished that he was still at the pool.

"So, what do you want?" Ponyboy demanded, unable to take the silence any longer. "I didn't end my date early to drink Pepsi with you."

His brothers exchanged looks, seeing who would start the conversation first. Eventually, Soda turned to him and began with, "I was hoping that you would—"

"No." His answer came out quickly and sassily before Soda could finish his sentence. He knew what his brothers were trying to ask. He wasn't born yesterday.

Soda gaped. "You didn't even hear what we had to say."

"You were going to ask if I would forgive you and the answer to that is no."

Darry glared at him, eyes becoming icy. He clenched his fist on the table. His face started to become red, telling Ponyboy that Darry had been bottling all of his angry emotions up. He knew that it was going to come down to it. His brothers, despite helping him before, didn't change one bit. But, just like Darry, Ponyboy had also been bottling everything up.

"Listen, you fag," Darry snapped, leaning forward.

"No, you listen," Ponyboy retaliated, grinding his teeth. "I only left my date because you two wanted to understand me more and hopefully make amends. And this attitude towards me is exactly why I can't forgive you. You put me through hell. You know that, right? I finally found someone that made me happy and you just had to step in the way and torture me like there was something wrong with me."

"There _is_ something wrong with you."

"What makes being gay wrong?" Christ, he had to calm down. He massaged his temples with his fingers, taking another sip of his drink. If he didn't calm down, he was going to make a scene and the last thing he needed was more people knowing about his sexuality.

"It's not natural," Soda answered. "A male and a woman should be together. That's human nature."

"So, loving someone isn't human nature?"

"Not when it comes to gay people like you. Look at Mom and Dad. They were both different genders and they both loved each other."

"Both of them also wouldn't have approved of you," Darry added, not touching the food that had arrived at the table at one point.

Ponyboy scoffed and questioned, "Who are you to make that call?"

"I just know better." What kind of bullshit reason was that? Both Darry and Soda were being unreasonable.

"What you know is no better than what I know. And you know what I know? Our parents would have loved me still. And do you know how I know that? Because they loved family the most—us. Our parents wanted us to be happy and live the lives that we wanted to live. Our parents were the most accepting people around. They treated the gang like they were all their kids. They didn't care about their background. Why would they care about something as little as my sexuality?"

For a long moment, Darry and Soda were speechless. They couldn't think of anything that could go against that argument. They looked at each other again, knowing full well that their parents were really the most accepting people in Tulsa. Hell, maybe even the world. The memories of their parents flooded their brains, sending warmth through their bodies. However, they also spread sadness, sending an icy feeling to their hearts. If only they were still with them, they would have settled this dispute in an instant. What would they do in this situation?

That's when something that Ponyboy said earlier popped up in Soda's mind. After thinking about their parents, he felt calmer and not explosive like he had just been. Even gone, they were still watching out for them.

"Before," Soda recalled, "you asked if loving someone was considered human nature or not."

"I did," Ponyboy confirmed, not sure what he was trying to ask.

"Does that mean you love Archer?"

Ponyboy went rigid at that. He said that sentence before out of an impulse, but did that mean he loved Archer? He chewed on the straw to his now-empty Pepsi, eyes glazing over. They had officially started dating not that long ago and Ponyboy even just admitted to his boyfriend that he liked him earlier that day. There was a huge gap between 'like' and 'love'. But, as Ponyboy thought more about it, the more he realized that he indeed loved Archer. He loved him despite all the shit that he had given him, but also because of that as well. They had been through a lot together. They've shown each other their vulnerable sides and mended each other when shit hit the fan. They've protected each other and never felt bored while the other person was around. They blew each other away, making each other breathless with butterflies fluttering in their stomachs. It was weird to think that they had once hated each other's guts. Archer made Ponyboy happy. That was the truest statement around.

"I do," Ponyboy admitted. There were no more questions about that. "I love Archer."

Again, there was silence as his two brothers exchanged gazes. They were having a silent conversation with each other, something that Johnny and he did all the time in the past.

"When I saw you in the pool with him," Soda began, "You seemed really happy with him. It's been a while since I had seen you smile like that."

"I am happy," Ponyboy confirmed. "I'm happier than I've been in a long time. I hope you could at least accept that for me."

"I don't accept that you're gay. I wish that you were anything but that—" Darry started.

"Like dead? You would rather have me be dead? I had been risking my life every day after coming out as gay, you know. There were so many moments where I was hanging to my life by a thread."

"Let me finish." Darry held up a hand to tell him to quiet down. "I wish that you were straight. I hate that you are gay. However, I want you to be happy. I don't agree with the way that you're achieving it, but I do understand that I can't tell you what should make you happy or not."

Ponyboy's eyebrows knitted together. Did he hear that correctly? Was Darry accepting him, at least somewhat? "Wow, that… actually means a lot."

"Yeah? Well, don't get used to it."

When they finished talking, Soda leaned forward, another thing that Ponyboy had recently said catching his attention.

"What do you mean by your life hanging by a thread?" he asked.

Ponyboy looked at his second oldest brother, not wanting to go into it. He wanted to go back to Archer instead. It was hard enough to talk to Archer about it. He swallowed the saliva that had formed inside of his mouth, picking at the strings that were poking out of a rip in the seat cushions. Ponyboy just had to get it over with. Maybe this was what he needed. So, he started to talk about his life after people found out about his sexuality. Ponyboy talked about him being beaten up, almost being sexually assaulted, giving into drugs, almost drowning, almost being run over, the notes in his locker, the vandalization, and wanting to die. He went over the more difficult topics as well like what had happened to him while he was in conversion therapy. Throughout the entire explanation, his brothers had blank expressions on their faces. Ponyboy couldn't tell what they were thinking—if they thought that he deserved it all or not. However, he knew for sure that they were at least soaking everything in.

When he finally finished talking, Ponyboy slumped back in the booth, exhausted. He rubbed at his eyes which were threatening to spill tears. Unfortunately, he was mostly dried off so he couldn't blame his teary eyes on that excuse.

"I'm sorry that you went through that," Soda finally said with a semi-blank face.

"Yeah? Well, thanks…" Ponyboy sighed out. He should have known that Soda and Darry weren't going to be moved by his story. But he wasn't expecting much anyway. Meeting with them was a waste of time. He stood up, cracking his joints. "Now that I've shared that, I'm going to get going."

"So, you're really not going to forgive us?" Darry asked right before Ponyboy could turn his back to them.

Ponyboy raised an eyebrow. "Forgive you? Do you honestly think that I'm going to forgive you because I told you about what I went through?"

Darry shrugged. "A bit, yeah."

"You're unbelievable."

"We really do want to understand you better, and to do that we have to start with forgiveness."

Ponyboy shook his head, backing away from them. "There are too many scars to forgive you."

He walked away, leaving the bustling diner and his brothers behind. They were his ride back, but he didn't want to spend another minute with them. Maybe he ended the conversation early and maybe he was too cold to them. However, he didn't want to be caught up in false fantasies again, waiting for things to become like they were. Ponyboy tried that once and it didn't end up well for him. Darry and Soda were his past. If there was one lesson that Archer taught him, it was that he couldn't hang onto the past. He had to make his own future instead.

It was a long walk home and he had no company, but that was okay. Archer was waiting for him and that gave him enough motivation and strength to push him forward.


	27. The Shot Heard Round the World

"Ready to go?" Archer asked one day as he walked downstairs with a duffel bag hanging off of his shoulder. Ponyboy tilted his head to the side in confusion. He didn't know what Archer was talking about whatsoever. They didn't plan anything before so what was he talking about?

"Go where?" Ponyboy questioned, trying to get more of a clarification.

Archer sighed, dropped the duffel bag down onto the floor when he realized that they weren't going to go anywhere for several minutes. "Didn't I tell you? It was in our deal way back then. You agreed to go to my basketball trip."

Ponyboy's mouth opened before it closed again. He had totally forgotten about the basketball trip. But who could have blamed him? His life had been hectic these past few months. Besides, he was mostly sure that Archer hadn't given him any details, let alone gave him a heads-up, about it yet. Ponyboy would have remembered a trip like that if he were informed. "You haven't told me anything about it."

"I haven't?" Archer lightly shook his head, chewing on his inner cheeks. He shrugged. "Well, better late than sorry?"

"Well…" Ponyboy started, eyebrows becoming downturned in reluctancy.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to go with me? All of the other guys are bringing their girlfriends."

Rapidly nodding his head, Ponyboy swallowed the lump in his throat. The problem wasn't him not wanting to go with him, it was something else entirely different. There was one problem with what Archer had said, which made Ponyboy look down at his hands in shame. "Of course, I do. It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"I'm your _boy_ friend…not your girlfriend. Wouldn't your teammates hate us for liking each other."

Archer hummed. He had thought about it. Most of them were, for sure, homophobic because they played a part in the plan to break Ponyboy. They probably didn't want to see him because he ended up with Ponyboy. However, he didn't want to throw his life away. He loved to play basketball. Besides, he had already paid to come along on the trip with Ponyboy. If he couldn't be with the team, at least he could hang out with Ponyboy.

"Probably…" Archer mumbled, scratching his chin. "But what matters is that we're together."

Scrunching up his nose at his sentence, Ponyboy cringed. There goes Archer again. He snorted, "That was really cheesy."

His boyfriend walked over to him and wrapped him up in a bearhug, causing Ponyboy to softly giggle. "You got a problem with being cheesy, Roadrunner?"

"Not at all. I like it when you're cheesy." Ponyboy pulled himself out of the hug so he could easily look him in the eyes. "But, anyway… Isn't this trip going to be like a basketball camp? Wouldn't you have to play with them?"

"Not necessarily. None of us actually go to play basketball. It's basically just a time to have fun. That's why it's not during the basketball season." Archer grabbed the duffle bag off of the floor, shouldering it. "So, are you coming or not?"

A smile crept onto Ponyboy's lips as excitement caused his heart to flutter. Sure, they had spent many nights already sleeping in the same bed, but this was a getaway. Even though it wasn't supposed to be a romantic getaway, Ponyboy couldn't help but associate the trip to one.

"Yeah," Ponyboy breathed out. "Let me quickly get a bag together and then we can go."

**o-o-o**

The bus ride across the state to the hotel felt like it lasted for days. Ponyboy and Archer sat in the back row with their hoods up to hide their faces. They were tense the entire time, just waiting for the basketball team to mess with them. They were practically sitting ducks on the bus. So, they just sat there, bodies so tense that it hurt their backs. Fortunately, though, the basketball team didn't pay them any attention. They didn't even notice their existence, it seemed like. Eventually, after the basketball team ignored them for a few hours, Ponyboy relaxed enough to lean his head against Archer's shoulder. He let out a deep sigh as he tried to get some rest, but it was difficult to do so with him worrying about the basketball team and all.

After hours of driving and dealing with stiffening bodies, the bus finally arrived at the hotel. The hotel was practically a five-starred, countryside resort. Ponyboy had never stayed in a hotel like that. It would have definitely put him into a million years of debt if he had. Ponyboy had only stayed in cheap motels, and even that wasn't often.

Ponyboy took a deep breath, stretching his limbs until his joints popped. He grabbed his bag and walked with everyone else inside the fancy hotel to check-in. He wondered how all of them even got the money to stay there. It made him feel bad that Archer paid for him.

The check-in process was quick and easy, and it didn't take long for Ponyboy and Archer to get to their room. As soon as they entered, Archer grabbed his bag for him and threw it on the bed before he did the same to his own. He turned to Ponyboy with a wicked smile plastered onto his face and grabbed his hand.

"Come on," he said, dragging himself out of the room, much to Ponyboy's surprise.

"What's going on?" Ponyboy asked, trying his best to keep up with Archer's long strides. "Where are you taking me?"

However, Archer didn't answer his question until they were back outside of the hotel, heading away from it.

"The last time that I was here, the team and I found this place. I just want to get there before the team does," Archer answered, eyes moving back and forth around the area.

Eventually, the two of them reached their destination. The hotel was nowhere in sight now and the sun was already starting to set. The place that Archer took him wasn't what Ponyboy expected. At the back of his mind, he was thinking that Archer was going to take him to a scenic area to watch the sunset or something. He wasn't expecting to be taken to a muddy obstacle course.

"We found an obstacle course," Archer explained, seeing the confusion on Ponyboy's face. "This property used to be a military training camp before they decided to put a hotel on top of it. Want to try it out?"

Archer nudged Ponyboy in the side with his elbow, smiling daringly at him. Ponyboy mirrored the expression, nodding his head feverishly. He had never done an obstacle course before. He wondered if he would be able to do it since he was still a bit weak. Ponyboy had been working out again to get back into shape, but there was only so much he could do in such a short amount of time.

"Let's do it," Ponyboy agreed.

"Want to make a bet?" Archer asked.

"A chance to make another deal?" Ponyboy hummed to himself. "What do you have in mind?"

"We're going to race each other, and, if I win, then you have to shave off your hair."

A gasp left Ponyboy's mouth as he shielded his hair with horror written all over his face. His hair? It was his pride and joy. He had one of the tuffest hair in Tulsa. He couldn't shave it! He would look ridiculous. "Not my hair! Do you want a bald boyfriend?"

A chuckle left Archer's mouth. "I think it'll be interesting to see if your head is deformed or not. So, do you want to take the deal?"

"These are high-stakes," Ponyboy commented, chewing on his bottom lip. "I need to think of something big for when you lose the race."

"If _I_ lose?" Archer dramatically gaped. "Sorry, Roadrunner, but you're the one who's going to lose."

Ponyboy pointed a finger towards Archer, planting a hand on his hip as he leaned forward. "Okay, maybe. But, if I win, then you have to steal some clothes from one of your teammate's girlfriend. Then you have to wear it for a full day in front of your team."

Archer whistled. "Harsh."

"You brought my hair into it. I'm making sure that you get punished."

"Again, that's only if _you_ win."

"Trust me, I will. Don't underestimate me. My nickname isn't Roadrunner for nothing, Robin Hood."

The two of them walked over to the starting point of the obstacle course, stretching out their limbs. When they were both ready, they stepped a foot in front of the other, leaning forward in anticipation.

"On three…" Archer began, taking a deep breath. "One… Two… _Three_!"

Immediately after Archer said the last number, they raced forward. They both didn't think that the obstacle course was going to be that hard. However, after they hopped over the first obstacle, they were immediately faced with their first wall. Literally. From far away, the wall looked minuscule; like they could just leapfrog over it. However, when they were running towards it, after hopping over the first obstacle, they realized that the wall was a few heads taller than them. It loomed over them, making both of them question if they could get past it.

Unfortunately, that second of hesitation doomed both of them. They leaped up, stretching their hands over their heads to grab the ledge. However, Ponyboy missed it by a hair. Archer did catch the ledge (having the advantage in height and basketball-jumping skills) before he slipped himself. They exchanged looks before they both backed up and tried again, this time both managing to grab ahold of the ledge. The two of them struggled to pull themselves up, feeling their biceps burn as they did so. At the top, they swung their legs over it, jumping off to the ground on the other side. Their feet slapped against the mud, splattering across their clothes, but that was the least of their problems.

They began running again, stepping onto the next obstacle. However, their shoes were caked in mud, making the platform slippery. As soon as Archer placed his foot on the platform, his shoes slid across it, causing him to fall back. A short yell left his mouth, stomach flipping, as he fell backward. Archer fell into the mud with a splash, causing it to splatter all over him.

"Maybe… the obstacle course wasn't the best idea," Archer chuckled, sitting up.

Ponyboy snorted, "You're only saying that because you're going to lose. It looks like you're going to be crossdressing."

"Not if I could stop you first." Archer grabbed a handful of the mud and threw it at Ponyboy's face, causing him to fall as well. He fell onto his back, groaning. While he was in a daze, Archer took the opportunity and got back onto his feet, patting off the excess mud that stuck to his body. "Looks like I'm going to be the one who will win. I'll personally give you the haircut myself."

He started to turn away, but, before he could start running again, Ponyboy lunged forward. He grabbed Archer's ankle and held onto dear life.

"Let go of me, you ankle biter!" Archer yelled, trying to shake Ponyboy off but that only caused the grip to become tighter.

"Give up and maybe I will!"

"Not a chance!"

They continued to struggle, but, before Archer could rip his leg free, voices filled the area. Ponyboy's and Archer's heads snapped up in panic as they saw the heads of the basketball team poke up from the horizon.

"Shit," Archer cursed, realizing that their fun was over. "We got to get out of here."

Ponyboy nodded, standing up. Before the team could reach the obstacle course, the two of them were already on their way back to the hotel. They ran inside, ignoring the glares that were shot at them from everyone they passed by. At first, Ponyboy was confused. Then he looked at his clothes and realized that hardly any of his skin had been spared by the mud. Archer was just as dirty. They probably even left a trail behind them on the carpet. He smiled sheepishly at them before he ducked inside of his and Archer's room.

"We made it," Ponyboy breathed out in relief. "That was a close one. Too bad we got interrupted."

"But it's not like our day is finished. There's still one place I want to take you," Archer commented, eyes sparkling.

"What do you mean?"

"You should take a shower first. I don't want to be muddy forever. I'll tell you later."

Nodding, Ponyboy walked inside the bathroom. He wondered where Archer was going to take him afterward. While he was letting the warm water wash away the mud, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Ponyboy couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He hoped that it wasn't true.

* * *

After they both showered and changed into fresh clothes, they headed out. Although it was dark, many lights lit up their way to their destination. The breeze brushed past their wet hair, sending shivers down their spines. Despite it being chilly, both of them enjoyed the serenity that the night brought them.

They eventually arrived at a small restaurant that was packed with people. There must have been some sort of event going on for it to be that busy, Ponyboy realized.

"Is there an event tonight?" Ponyboy asked, sitting down on one of the barstools since all of the tables were taken. He looked around the restaurant more, noticing something strange. Everybody there was sitting with people of their own gender. Sure, it wasn't impossible, but these people didn't look like mere friends to one another. It was almost as if they were…

"This is a homosexual gathering," Archer answered, tapping his fingers against the counter.

Ponyboy looked around at the people again, everything coming together like a puzzle. "You mean… everyone here is…"

"They're all gay. Well… most of them."

Ponyboy's mouth dropped. Beside himself, he had never seen other gay people before. At least, to his knowledge. Archer didn't count because he liked to date females as well, but nobody that he knew came out as gay. Then again, Ponyboy knew why people wouldn't share that information with others. Being gay was still illegal and rejected. A smile crept onto his face. He knew exactly why Archer had brought him there. For months, Ponyboy had felt alone. He even thought that there was something wrong with him a few times. But, being in the restaurant with other gay people reassured him otherwise. "Wow…"

"Yeah… After all the shit that you went through, I thought that you would really enjoy it."

Ponyboy tentatively reached over to grab Archer's hand. Even though he knew that it was okay, he was used to not showing much public displays of attraction in fear of people seeing them. "Thank you, Archer. Really… I mean it, thank you."

"Of course."

Ponyboy looked at their hands before looking back at Archer again. He should tell him that he loved him. It seemed like a really good moment to do so. But was it too early? What if Archer didn't want their relationship to get that far? The more he thought about it, the more that he believed it. He was psyching himself out and he knew it.

But he just had to do it. If Archer reacts badly, then he should end their relationship right then and there. He didn't want to do so, but it would be for the best. Ponyboy didn't want to be in a relationship that would be for nothing. Archer didn't have to tell him that he loved him back. He wasn't expecting that answer. However, if he yells at him or runs away, then he would know that the relationship wasn't going to go far. But, then again, it wasn't like they could get married anyway. But he was thinking too far ahead of himself.

He needed to just say it before he got even more attached to him.

"Hey, Archer, I have to tell you something," he started, feeling butterflies in his stomach. He swallowed thickly.

"What is it?" Archer asked, tilting his head to the side in question.

Here it goes. "I just wanted to say that I really lo—"

That was all Ponyboy was able to say before a scream erupted from outside of the restaurant. The entire restaurant quieted down as everybody snapped their heads towards the door. The same question was burning on everybody's mind: what happened? That wasn't an excited scream whatsoever. It was a scream of absolute terror. That uneasy feeling returned, making Ponyboy want to throw up from how queasy he felt.

They all got their answer soon as the door slammed open and policemen flooded inside the restaurant. One of them was holding a bloody baton. The others were touching the guns in their holsters, just waiting to whip them out a shoot at any sign of threat.

"Everybody, on the ground, right now!" the one with the baton ordered in a snappy tone.

Ponyboy and Archer looked at each other with wide eyes before they got off of their ball stools, knees feeling weak. They sunk to the floor, raising their hands to show that they weren't going to do anything suspicious.

What the hell was going on?

"Why are the police here?" Archer whispered to him but Ponyboy could only shrug. He was just as lost as he was.

"If any of you resist in any way, you will be faced with force like what happened to the woman outside," the policeman continued, brandishing his bloody baton to the crowd.

Ponyboy gulped, knowing that he somehow got himself into trouble again. Why did this sort of stuff always happen to him?

The police started to talk about arresting employees for serving gay individuals, but Ponyboy's heart was beating so loudly that it practically drowned out everything that was being said to them. But, at one point, someone did something stupid. So stupid that it endangered everybody there. It all happened so fast. One moment, everybody was kneeling on the floor with their hands raised over their heads. The next, a man started to charge at the police. He screamed something that Ponyboy couldn't make out. But, soon enough, the other customers began charging as well. They clashed with the policeman, raising their fists or grabbing something from the table to defend themselves.

That was when the first shot was fired, making the once nice restaurant into a warzone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter plus the next will be based on the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Of course, it's not exactly that, since it's the wrong year and the violent happenings are different. But you guys get the general gist of it hopefully. This is a more violent rendition of the raids that happened during LGBT gatherings back then.


	28. Trampled Flowers

Ponyboy used to think that he had seen it all when it came to anti-gay actions and propaganda. He had even experienced many of them himself. However, being there inside of the raided restaurant, opened up another room that he didn't know existed. It was a room where bodies were stacked up on each other, one after another, with bloodied and bruised skin. It was where the corrupted and cruel society ruled, and where the homosexual population was damned.

The first, initial gunshot rang so loudly that it caused Ponyboy's ears to ring; making his heart skip a beat as he watched as bodies collided with each other in one brutal tangle. He had seen so many sickening things in his life, but this was one of the most horrific. Even though the gay patrons that were in the restaurant beat the police force in numbers, they were at the disadvantage because they were only armed with fists and random items that were scattered about. They screamed and shouted as they threw their fists against the shields that the policemen carried. But their attempts were mostly futile as the police held their ground. It was hard to see what was happening inside of the crowd, and Ponyboy was relieved about that after hearing what people were screaming about.

"You killed him!" a person screamed.

"You're monsters!" another yelled.

As time went on, everything became increasingly worse. Bodies were dropping—their heads were bleeding and their bones were broken. It seemed like the police were an unstoppable force that they weren't going to be able to beat. But one thing was for sure: it wasn't safe. Archer and Ponyboy might not have been actively in the bundle of people, but they were still in the open.

"What are we going to do?" Ponyboy asked although his voice was muffled by the uproar around them. "We can't stay here. It's too dangerous."

"I… I don't know," Archer stuttered out, looking at the crowd with eyes wider than plates. What was happening? Why were people fighting like this? He knew that the tension between the two groups was tense and that it was illegal to be gay, but this… this was wrong in so many ways. Archer would admit that he had managed to stay relatively oblivious to the treatment that homosexual people received. He thought that it just went as far as verbal discrimination and the development of conversion therapy. He was so wrong. Was he going to have to face this for the rest of his life? Would this ever get better or would it become worse? "I… can't…"

A hand shook Archer's shoulder, trying to break him out of his daze. "Archer, snap out of it! We have to go now!"

Archer shook his head, lips trembling. "What's the point?"

"What do you mean?" Ponyboy looked back over to the crowd of people nervously. It might have been just his fear, but it seemed like the riot was shifting closer to them. "This isn't the place or time to be talking."

But Archer continued to talk, unmoving from his spot. "What's the point of trying to fight for rights when we will always be knocked down like this?"

"Archer…" It was true. Even Ponyboy felt hopeless when it came to earning rights and being seen as an equal in society. But things always changed, regardless of what people wanted. Nothing could stay the same forever. Sure, there would most likely always be homophobic people in the world, but things will get better. He was sure of it. "It won't be like this one day."

"How would you know?"

Ponyboy picked at his jeans, letting out a deep sigh. "Because humans are always learning, and traditions are meant to be broken. Now, please, let's get to safety so we can hopefully one day live to see that change happen."

Gulping, Archer slowly nodded. They grabbed each other's hands to not get separated and to simultaneously comfort each other. The two of them ducked behind the counter, curling up together. Their bodies shook like leaves and all they could do to remedy that was to hold onto each other. They wished that everything would end soon because they didn't know how much more they could take.

In a weird way, not being able to see the riot was almost worse than being able to see it. It let the imagination run free by allowing it to come up with even more gruesome images than what was actually happening around them, which was saying a lot. They heard the sickening crunches of bones snapping, people grunting as they were beaten by batons, blood splattering everywhere, and blood-curdling screams. This wasn't just a raid, they both realized. This was a massacre.

Was this the end for them? Were the police planning on killing them all because of that one person attacking them? It wasn't like society would care if a handful of gay citizens were dead. Hell, they probably would get a lot of praise for it. But Ponyboy wasn't ready to die yet. He still had a lot of his life left; things that he hadn't experienced yet. He couldn't be killed after everything that he went through. That wouldn't be fair at all.

"We have to get out of here somehow," Ponyboy muttered, digging his head into Archer's chest, listening to his quick heartbeats to help drown out the other sounds.

"But how? The door is totally blocked," Archer questioned, holding onto Ponyboy tighter, "and it doesn't seem like there's an employee entrance or anything."

Ponyboy tried to think of a solution, but he couldn't. There was absolutely no way that they could avoid the rampage unless they waited it out. But that option was still terrible. The more time that they spent inside of the restaurant, the more that they were at risk. The only other option that they had was to try to go straight through, but they wouldn't be able to go unscathed. "We have to go through."

"Go through?" Archer looked at him incredulously. "Ponyboy, are you crazy?"

"Right now? I wish." If he were crazy, he wouldn't have been so scared.

After a long second, Archer nodded his head. It was probably going to be stupid, but it was either that or be a sitting duck. "Let's do it."

Taking a deep breath, they both got to their feet again. The crowd of people that were resisting the police force had diminished greatly, although there were still many left standing. Surprisingly, the police hadn't shot their guns again. In that way, they were lucky. However, that didn't change the fact that the police were still beating everybody senseless, and that there were unconscious and/or dead bodies littered across the ground.

They held each other's hands as they walked towards the rioting crowd. As they got closer, they felt the heat and humidity of the mashed together bodies. They hadn't even merged with them yet and they were already sweating like pigs. Holding each other tightly so they wouldn't lose each other, they both ducked inside. The two of them pushed people aside and squeezed through narrow gaps. However, it was getting harder the further they got. Their bodies were shoved around like ragdolls and their skin was scratched by long nails, making holding onto each other difficult. Ponyboy tried his best to keep his eyes trained on people's sides as he advanced. He couldn't bring himself to stare into their fearful or fiery eyes as their heads were covered in blood. Just the thought made him sick to his stomach.

"We're human!" a person bellowed.

"Murderers!" another screeched.

They were getting close to the front, but that was when everything went south.

A particularly hard shove caused the two of them to separate from each other. In less than a second, his boyfriend was lost somewhere in the crowd, out of sight. Ponyboy froze where he was, frantically looking around for Archer, but there were so many people around him that limited how far he could see. His body continued to shift back and forth as people pushed him or stepped on him.

"Archer, where are you?" he yelled but received no answer. Why wasn't Archer answering him? He couldn't have gotten _that_ far, could he? Instantly, he started to think the worst. What if Archer was dead? It was a thought that he didn't want to think about.

Deciding to continue with their plan, Ponyboy pushed himself to the front of the crowd. There was still no sign of Archer anywhere. He turned his attention to one of the policemen who glared back at him from the other side of his shield. Ponyboy gulped. The policeman didn't care if he was young. All he saw was another gay rioter. There was no way that Ponyboy could ask him to step aside to let him through.

Suddenly, a hard shove sent him flying forward into the shield. He cried out in shock as bodies pressed against his back, making it difficult for him to breathe. He tried to push back, but there was so much pressure that he couldn't do so.

"Back away!" he pleaded to the people behind him, but they didn't listen. They kept pushing and pushing, squishing him like a pancake against the shield. The policeman, however, didn't like that at all. He growled as he raised his baton and swung it down on him. It struck his shoulder, causing a blinding pain to wash over Ponyboy. The force of the attack mixed with the constant pushing sent his body to the ground. For a very short moment, Ponyboy stayed still, too shocked to do anything else.

What happened? Did the policeman hit him?

_Where was Archer?_

But he only had that moment to materialize those questions in his head before a scream left his mouth when he was stomped on by the people around him. A flurry of feet impacted with his body. He barely had the chance to curl up into a ball and to cover his head to protect himself. His body was being crushed, bones breaking from the pressure. The pain was unbelievable, and he was crying so hard that anybody within a mile away could probably hear him. But, still, nobody even cared that he was being trampled as individual self-preservation became their top priority. Over and over again, his body was kicked.

"Archer!" he managed to cry out, although his voice was easily drowned out. He didn't even know where his boyfriend was.

A kick to his stomach knocked the breath out of him, causing him to gasp out. Veins spread across his vision again as the edges started to darken. He wasn't going to be able to take much more of this.

_He was going to die!_

That was when the second gunshot of the night sounded. Ponyboy flinched, covering his ears. There were more screams as a body fell to the floor. From where Ponyboy was, he could make out the features of the dead person's body. Although, he wished that he wasn't able to see it. Right in the center of the man's head was a bullet hole. The man's eyes were lifeless as it seemingly stared into Ponyboy's soul, causing his heart to drop. He was dead. Christ, he was dead. Ponyboy was going to be sick.

He didn't know what compelled him, but, at one moment, Ponyboy's eyes traveled up towards the policeman. The man was still glaring down at him. His grip on the baton tightened—so much so that his hands started to shake from the pressure. He was screaming something at him, Ponyboy couldn't comprehend anything that he was saying. Was he threatening him? When the policeman started to move the hand that was holding the bloodied baton, he knew that he was in danger. He was planning on killing him.

_No!_

A scream left his throat when the baton was swung down. Things went in slow motion as Ponyboy watched in horror as it got closer to his head. But, miraculously, it never made contact with him.

All of a sudden, Archer appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed the policeman's arm in a tight grip, surprising the older man. His boyfriend pulled on it with all of his strength, managing to tip the man forward. The shield lowered, providing Archer with an opportunity. He swung his fist forward, connecting it with the policeman's cheek. The impact was so hard that it caused him to stumble before falling down on his butt with a loud thump. Thinking that the threat was temporarily gone, Archer turned his back to the policeman, going down onto his knees in front of Ponyboy despite being pushed around by people.

"Can you get up?" Archer asked. "We have to get out now while we have the chance!"

Ponyboy wasn't sure. He couldn't even feel his body anymore and it was hard to concentrate on Archer's voice enough as it was. But he nodded anyway. It didn't matter if he was about to pass out. They had to get out of the restaurant no matter what. Archer reached his hand over to help him up.

But then the third and final gunshot of the night happened. It was a gunshot that changed everything.

Archer's body suddenly jerked, becoming stiffer than a board. His mouth was wide open, eyes just as wide. For a moment, everything was still and quiet besides the ringing of their ears. Then, before Ponyboy's eyes, he watched as blood bubbled out of Archer's mouth, spilling down his chin. His body fell forward, collapsing onto the floor in a twitching mess. And, just like that, Ponyboy felt his world come to a stop.

"No!" Ponyboy screamed, pushing himself up with newfound energy. He quickly crawled over to Archer, seeing him cough up more blood. There was a large bullet hole planted in his back, close to where his heart was. Blood seeped through Archer's clothes, spreading onto the floor quickly.

He had to do something! But what? Thoughts were flying everywhere, making it impossible for him to come up with a rational plan to help Archer. What was he supposed to do?!

The blood… He had to stop the bleeding. Christ, what would the gang do?

His hands trembled as he brought it up to Archer's wound, pressing down on it firmly. However, it was practically useless. The blood seeped through his fingers, staining them red. People were still pushing them around and stepping on them, making the situation even worse and all Ponyboy wanted was it to all stop.

"Stop pushing!" he barked, but, again, nobody listened. The blood continued to flow out, pooling around them. Archer was hardly moving now. "Please, no! Don't do this! Don't die on me!"

But Archer was losing blood fast. If he didn't get medical attention soon, he was going to die.

"Someone, help!" he begged, but nobody responded to his pleads. He had to do it on his own.

A low grumble escaped Archer's mouth. He tried to open it to speak but ended up coughing up blood.

"Don't talk. For Christ's sake, don't talk. You're going to be alright," Ponyboy whimpered.

"Tired…" Archer whispered, his voice so absolutely weak. It pained Ponyboy to listen to it.

"Don't close your eyes. Just keep your eyes on me, okay? Stay awake. Please, don't die on me. I love you, Archer. I need you."

He hadn't realized what he said until much later.

Archer closed his eyes, despite Ponyboy telling him not to. The younger teen bit his lip hard until it bled.

He had to go now no matter what!

He grabbed ahold of Archer's battered wrists, managing to squeeze his way through the police after a large man tackled an officer to the ground. Blood trailed after them as Ponyboy somehow dragged Archer out of the restaurant. The Soc felt weightless even though he was so heavy. It was probably because of how much adrenaline was pumping through his veins.

Ponyboy went to the nearest car, cursing when the doors were locked. But, then again, what was he expecting? He needed to get in though. Ponyboy started to punch at the windows as hard as he could. His knuckles smacked on the surface over and over again. It took many tries until his fist finally went through. The glass shattered, cutting deeply into his skin, but Ponyboy hardly felt a thing. Again, he had adrenaline to thank for that.

As soon as the glass shattered, he opened up the door and pushed Archer inside. He got in right afterward, fiddling with the wires under the wheel with his shaky hands.

"Come on," he muttered to himself. "Come on…"

Eventually, the car rumbled to life and, soon enough, they were racing towards the hospital. Ponyboy had seen the sign for one on the way to the resort. He just hoped that he would make it there in time and that nobody would stop them along the way.

When they arrived, he ran inside of the ER, pale and covered in blood. His eyes were wild as he looked around the waiting room.

"Help!" Ponyboy screamed. "I have someone in the car who was shot. He's going to die if he doesn't get help!"

In a matter of seconds, a few attendants rushed out of the backroom to help him, grabbing a gurney along the way. Ponyboy led them to the car he stole, opening up the door for them. They hastily and expertly placed Archer on the gurney, rolling him inside and towards the backroom. Ponyboy was about to follow them but was stopped by one of the attendants.

"You can't follow him, sir," they informed him.

"But there must be something that I could do! I can help him!" Ponyboy protested, keeping his eyes on the door that Archer disappeared behind. He didn't want to leave Archer alone.

"Sir, I know that you want to help him, but you'll just be getting in the way. Right now, the best thing that you can do is get checked out yourself. You're injured and you need to be helped before you could go and see him. Another attendant will help you."

Crap. He didn't want it to be true, but the attendant was right. If he went in there, the medical professionals would work slower. He looked down at his hand that he had used to get into the car. It was still bleeding and needed stitches. The last thing they needed was him passing out himself. Ponyboy reluctantly nodded, taking a wavering breath. "Please, make sure you save him."

The attendant's face darkened, knowing that, with Archer's wound, his chances of survival were slim to none. But, still, she said, "We'll try our best."

With that, they were gone, leaving Ponyboy to his lonesome. He walked over to check in, holding his bleeding hand. Ponyboy didn't really remember much about getting stitches and his broken bones checked out. Everything went by in a blur. All he could think about was Archer. He ducked his head, breathing heavily to try to calm himself down.

 _He was going to be alright_ , he reassured himself.

He wasn't sure how long he was sitting where the doctor left him, but, at one point, someone touched the back of his head. Body tensing, Ponyboy looked up, seeing Archer's mom there with tears in her eyes. Ponyboy had put her information down as the person to contact when he checked them both in. He didn't even bother putting down Soda's or Darry's contact information.

"Still no word?" she asked and Ponyboy shook his head.

"Not a thing," he muttered, voice cracking.

"And what about you? Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Ponyboy answered honestly. He hadn't even thought about himself much since getting to the hospital. He still didn't. He looked at his feet. "What if he doesn't make it through?"

Archer's mom sniffled, trying her absolute best to be optimistic in this situation. Her voice wavered as she talked, making her attempts unbelievable though. "He will. Archer won't go down that easily."

"I hope that you're right."

She sat down next to him, planting her hands on her knees. "Tell me what happened. Why is my son in the hospital?"

Ponyboy didn't want to think about it. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was Archer getting shot. But she had to know. Ponyboy felt like it would be awfully selfish of him to keep it all to himself. But it was just so hard for him to talk about it. He stumbled with his words, stuttering out, "We… We…. Uh… Archer… he… took me to a restaurant where there was a gay gathering going on. It went really nice at first but that was until the police raided it."

Her eyes opened wide in shock. "A police raid?"

He nodded. "I don't know exactly what happened… but there was a scream and I think a policeman beat a person outside before coming in. They tried to arrest the employees for serving us and then everybody suddenly charged at the police. The police kept hitting them down and it was so bloody. It was like a massacre and I knew that some people were dead. Archer and I didn't know if we were going to die or not, so we decided to try to leave… but the only way out was by getting through the policemen."

"And then what happened?"

"We went into the crowd of rioting people together, but we got separated. I got hit by a policeman at one point and fell down to the floor. People started to trample me, and the policeman was about to finish me off… But Archer… uh… Archer found me and saved me. He tried to get me up and that's when…" Ponyboy choked, tears running down his bloodied cheeks. Archer's mom rubbed his back, trying her best to keep calm for him. It was hard though, that was her own son in there. Archer was her entire life. She didn't know what she was going to do if he… died.

The two of them waited for hours, praying to whatever god was up there that Archer was okay. During their wait, Archer's mother helped clean him up a bit since he was still covered in a lot of blood. She even got him a jacket to cover up the stains on his shirt. At one point though, a doctor walked out, eyes tired and dull. He looked down at his clipboard before he turned to the two. The doctor remembered Ponyboy from before. He walked over, asking, "Are you Mortimer's mother?"

"Archer. He likes to be called Archer…" Archer's mom corrected. "How is he? Is he going to be alright?"

There was a long, dramatic pause before the doctor nodded his head. His glasses slipped down his nose a bit. "He's going to be fine. It was lucky that he was brought in at that time. Another minute longer and he would have been as good as dead. A bullet wound had punctured his lung. If the bullet would have shifted a bit more to the right, it would have hit his heart. He was very lucky. Archer also lost a lot of blood and we had to give him some. We did everything that we could for now. He's resting at this moment. He'll most likely be out for the entire night and visiting hours are over, so I would have to ask you two to come back and see him tomorrow."

Ponyboy breathed out a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifting off his shoulder. Archer was going to be alright. He leaned back in his chair, exhaustion hitting him like a bulldozer. A minute… One more minute and he would have been dead. If Ponyboy was pulled over along the way, that would have been it for him.

"Can we spend the night here with him?" Archer's mother asked. "Please, we almost lost him. We need to see him now."

The doctor hesitated and answered, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but rules are rules. I can't break them for you. However, one visitor may stay the night with him… Not two… You are his guardian, so you can make the call."

Nodding her head, Archer's mom glanced at Ponyboy, nudging him forward without missing a beat. "You go."

Ponyboy's mouth dropped at her words. He shook his head and protested, "But he's _your_ son. You should go in there and be by his side."

"Ponyboy, that's really sweet of you, but it has to be you. When he wakes up, he will want to see you first. I just know it."

His eyebrows knitted together in reluctancy. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I'll come as soon as visiting hours reopen again."

"Come this way, sir," the doctor instructed him. Ponyboy looked back at Archer's mother one more time, thanking her before he followed the doctor through the labyrinth of the hospital. It was hard to move and breathe, but Archer kept him going strong. Eventually, they finally arrived at a door. The doctor opened it up, letting Ponyboy step through. "If anything happens, please call for help."

"I will, thank you," Ponyboy said before the door closed behind him.

Ponyboy turned around, seeing the outline of Archer's body buried under the blankets of the bed. The room was dim, but there was enough light to clearly see Archer's bandaged form. Just as what the doctor had said, he was asleep. His breathing was steady, his tube-stuffed nose twitching from time to time. He looked peaceful asleep as if he hadn't been shot at all. Ponyboy grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. He reached over and held his limp hand and burrowing his head in his boyfriend's leg.

Golly, what a day… So much had happened. But he was relieved that everything was finally getting better. Archer was still here with him.

"Don't ever leave me," he whimpered.

* * *

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but he had. He awoke to someone petting his hair. Ponyboy's eyes slowly fluttered open, wanting to close again as the light hit them. He straightened out his stiff back with a groan, wincing as he jostled his ribs. It took half a second for him to fully wake up, quickly realizing who had woken him up. His eyes shot to Archer whose eyelids were half-lidded and was hiding his pained eyes. But even though he looked like he was in pain, he had a gentle smile on his face.

"You're awake!" Ponyboy exclaimed in relief, shooting to his feet but yelped. He sat down again. He kept forgetting how injured he was.

"Don't move too much!" Archer scolded. Man, it was great to hear his voice again. "You're hurt."

" _I'm_ the one that's hurt? You're the one who was shot! How are you feeling, by the way? Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Yeah, but I'm on a bunch of pain medications. A nurse came by earlier for that. I can hardly feel my toes. Want to see me wiggle them?"

Ponyboy clenched his jaw. He wanted to smile, but Archer almost died in his arms. "How could you be joking right now? Golly, Archer, you almost died."

"But I didn't."

The greaser shot Archer a look. "Archer…"

His boyfriend slowly nodded, letting out a long sigh. He relaxed his head on his pillow, looking up at the ceiling. "Yeah… I know… I shouldn't be cracking jokes right now… but I don't want to talk about what happened. Jokes are keeping me from thinking about the raid. But there's one thing that I really want to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

There was a long pause and he smiled again. It made Ponyboy really curious about what he wanted to talk about. "Back in the restaurant… you said that you loved me."

Instantly, Ponyboy's face became red. He hadn't realized that he said that back then. He thought back to the memory, face only becoming redder. He couldn't believe that Archer heard that. He thought he had passed out! Ponyboy rapidly shook his head. He didn't know why he was trying to deny the confession, but he was. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did!"

"You were just hallucinating from losing all of that blood."

Archer shook his head, still grinning. "I wouldn't forget something like that. What… were you lying to me? That would really hurt."

He was baiting him. He knew that, but it still worked. He sighed, scrunching up his nose.

"I do…" Ponyboy reassured. "I love you so much, Archer. When you were shot, I thought that—"

Before he could finish, Archer pulled him forward, much to their bodies disagreeing with the sudden movement. He lightly pecked him on his lips, successfully shutting him up. When he pulled away, he pressed their foreheads together, spreading warmth throughout their bodies.

"Don't talk about it anymore," Archer said with a husky voice. "I'm not going anywhere. And… I love you too, Roadrunner. I would take a thousand bullets for you and still be there by your side."

A chill went down Ponyboy's spine at his words, feeling his heart flutter. Archer _loved_ him. The feeling that those words created made him feel like he could fly. He couldn't help but have a smile form onto his lips.

"You better not be taking any more bullets for me," he tutted. He leaned forward and kissed Archer again, this time deeper. He placed his good hand on Archer's cheek as their lips molded together. His broken ribs were poking at his insides, making kissing difficult, but it was easy to ignore it with Archer swimming around in his mind. They continued to kiss until they couldn't anymore. Slowly, they pulled away, keeping their faces close together. Their warm breaths brushed against each other's faces.

"Hey, let's stop going on extravagant dates," Archer suddenly suggested. "Something always goes wrong."

"Agreed," Ponyboy chuckled. "I'll be happy doing whatever with you."

"Good, because I feel the same way."


	29. Epilogue

Tapping his feet impatiently, Ponyboy waited for the door to the hospital to open. Today was a very important day. Archer was being released from the hospital. His mom was currently inside, finishing up the rest of the payments and documents. She told him to stay outside to keep the car cool. Ponyboy didn't want to do that. He wanted to be right at Archer's side when he was released. However, he didn't argue with her.

So, when Archer stepped out of the hospital, he was already rushing over to him like he hadn't seen him in months.

"Careful," Archer's mom warned when Ponyboy almost tackled him. "Both of you are still healing."

"Oh, right," Ponyboy said, slowing down to a stop. He beamed at Archer, gently hugging him.

"Why are you so excited?" Archer asked, squeezing him back. "You've been visiting me every day."

"I'm just really relieved."

There was a long pause so the two of them could hug. After a while, Archer spoke up again, glancing at the car longingly. "Can we go now? I'm so sick of the hospital."

"You've only been there for a few days though," Archer's mom pointed out.

"And that's way too long. It's way too boring in there."

"Right, let's get going then!"

The three of them walked over to the car. Archer and Ponyboy hopped into the back seat together. As soon as the car rumbled to life, the younger male leaned his head onto Archer's shoulder. He breathed in his scent, scrunching up his nose in displeasure. Archer didn't smell like himself anymore. He smelt like antiseptic and like rubbing alcohol—like a hospital.

Ponyboy nestled himself closer, shifting his body to not put too much pressure onto his broken arm. He stayed like that even when they got back home. The two of them laid down on the couch together, with Ponyboy on top of Archer. He carefully straddled him to not hurt any of them. The two of them didn't let go of each other for hours.

"Hey, I need to get up," Archer finally announced, patting Ponyboy's back.

"No," Ponyboy stubbornly rejected. "I don't want you to get up."

"But I have to go to the bathroom. You've been hugging me for hours now. Don't you think that this is too much?"

Ponyboy looked at him dejectedly but nodded his head, nonetheless. He didn't feel like his hugging was much at all. However, he had trapped Archer for hours straight without any explanation of his behavior. He must have been so confused. Sighing, he sat up so that he was sitting on Archer's lap.

"You're right," Ponyboy started, subconsciously picking at Archer's shirt. "It's just that… you almost died. I just can't help but think that if I let go of you, you'll disappear."

"Ponyboy…" Archer began, eyes softening. He placed his hands on Ponyboy's, rubbing on the back of them with his thumbs. "You know that I'm way too annoying to do that."

"Archer, I'm being serious. When you were shot, I realized that my greatest fear was losing you. I can't even imagine my life without you and that terrifies me."

Archer stopped petting the back of Ponyboy's hands to just hold them instead. He opened his mouth before closing it again, trying to form the perfect sentence. "Yeah, but what terrifies me the most is something happening to you."

Ponyboy smiled until his cheeks started to hurt, but it quickly fell when Archer decided to continue by saying, "You know… the position that you're in is pretty sexy."

And just like that, Ponyboy's ears turned red. He quickly got off of Archer, clearing his throat. Even though they were in a relationship, they hadn't gotten further than the kissing part of it. Then again, they never had the time nor the chance to go further. Something always stopped them. Besides, Ponyboy didn't feel like he was ready to go further than that just yet. One day, for sure, but not this particular one.

"Just go to the bathroom," he shooed, trying to calm down. Archer chuckled beneath his breath as he got up and left the room. Meanwhile, Ponyboy turned to the TV, chewing on his bottom lip. He walked over to it and turned it on. The first thing that showed up was this western show that had been quite popular lately. Shrugging his shoulders, Ponyboy sat back down on the couch and started to watch it even though he had no idea what was going on in it.

It didn't take long for Archer to leave the bathroom. He glanced at the screen before heading over to the kitchen to grab some snacks. Once he did that, he settled down next to Ponyboy, pressing their thighs together.

"Are we going to watch something?" he asked, handing him a bar of chocolate.

"We don't have to," Ponyboy stated. "I was just thinking that I haven't watched anything on TV or gone out to watch a movie in a while. I wanted something in my life to go back to how it used to be… back to normal, is all."

"We need normal for once. I take it you like to watch movies?"

Ponyboy nodded feverishly. "I love them."

"Then we should watch it then and maybe we could go to the drive-in later when we are both completely healed."

"I would really love that." Ponyboy took a bite of his chocolate, turning his eyes back to the show. They fell silent as they watched it. The only sound that came from them was the chewing of food. At one point, however, Ponyboy's eyes drifted towards Archer. He watched his boyfriend pick up an animal cracker and examined it, turning it around so that it would go into his mouth headfirst. He brought it up to his lips and bit off the animal cracker's head before plopping the rest of it in his mouth. He then did the same thing to the others.

"Hey, why do you do that?" Ponyboy asked, pointing to the animal cracker that was currently being beheaded.

"Do what?" Archer questioned after he swallowed the cracker down.

"Why do you bite the head off of the animal crackers first?"

Archer froze, blinking heavily in surprise. He turned to Ponyboy incredulously. "You noticed that?"

"I notice a lot of things that you do. So why do you do it?"

The Soc swallowed another cracker before putting the box down on the coffee table. "It's silly, but it's a habit from when I was a kid. I used to think that the animal crackers could actually feel pain. But they were so good that I didn't want to stop eating them. So, I figured that I would at least make sure that they would suffer less… by eating their head first."

A short laugh left Ponyboy's mouth. He shook his head joyously. "Golly, that is the most considerate and morbid thing that I have ever heard."

Archer moved, turning his body so that he was blocking Ponyboy's view of the TV. "Animal crackers aren't the only thing that I can bite."

Another blush bloomed across Ponyboy's face. He sputtered out with a shaky voice, "Hey, I'm trying to watch the show."

"I am the show," Archer said huskily. He brought their faces closer together, lips tracing Ponyboy's.

"But that would mean that you're fictional. I don't want you to be fake."

"Then I'm a documentary."

Ponyboy couldn't help but chuckle at that, rolling his eyes playfully. "Our life is complicated enough to be one, that's for sure."

Laughing, Archer closed the distance between them. They kissed slowly and carefully at first. Warmth filled their veins and their hearts skipping. Ponyboy's toes curled in as he brought a hand up to rest on Archer's cheek. His touch felt hot, burning his skin wherever he touched. His hands went under his shirt, stroking his sides while being mindful of his bruises. Ponyboy leaned forward, pressing himself closer to Archer. He parted his lips when he felt a tongue swipe across it. Archer slipped his tongue in, causing Pony to groan and melt on the couch. His tongue pushed against his own, both tenderly yet passionately, until they ran out of breath.

Both of them pulled away from each other, panting heavily. They locked eyes with each other, pupils blown wide. Then Archer moved in again, this time trailing small pecks starting from the corner of his mouth, to his jaw, and then finally to his neck. He grabbed ahold of Ponyboy's shirt, slowly pulling him forward while he went to lay down. He continued to suck on his neck, causing Ponyboy to moan.

"Wait, your mom is still here," Ponyboy whispered, voice so shaky that it was almost incomprehensible.

Sighing, Archer stopped, but not before leaving a mark on his neck. He agreed, "Yeah… We probably shouldn't go any further anyway. I don't want to accidentally hurt you. How are your bones anyway?"

Somehow, Ponyboy had forgotten about his injuries. He calmed down his shaky breath, making sure to not show any discomfort. He smiled gently at Archer. "I'll be alright."

Gunfire from the TV snapped their attention towards, reminding them that they were watching something before. Ponyboy rested his head on Archer's chest, listening to his steady heartbeats. It hurt his chest to be in that position, but it was manageable.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Ponyboy asked.

"Nah. I'm all good," Archer replied, wrapping his arms around Ponyboy.

Ponyboy reached up and played with Archer's hair, letting out a content sigh. "Hey, I really like us, Robin Hood."

"I really like us too, Roadrunner."

The two of them continued to watch the show. At one point, Ponyboy fell asleep. He snored lightly on Archer's chest. Archer smiled at him, petting his back. His chest hurt and his body was falling asleep, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Ponyboy was so peaceful and the fact that he trusted him enough to do that really meant a lot to him. Besides, there was no need for him to move.

It was crazy to think back to when they had first met—how they hated each other's guts. But a lot of time had passed since then. They've been through a lot together—way more than what an average person should go through in their lifetime. But everything that they went through ended up strengthening their relationship. They had thought that Ponyboy had walked in at the wrong place at the wrong time. However, now that they were together, they both felt complete. They now knew that both of them were at the right place at the right time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading through this entire story! It is now officially complete. I really hope that you will continue to support me as a writer by reading my works.


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